Pokemon Amethyst and Garnet
by Eric T. M
Summary: Welcome to Chinocko! Follow Riley and Lillie, two budding Trainers, as they traverse a region full of original Pokemon, colorful characters, and mysterious secrets! Not everything is as it seems in Chinocko, though, and they may find their entire worldview turned on its head!
1. Chapter 1

It was a bright, sunny end-of-summer day. The trees on the white brick side of town were green, if not small and sparing. New Moon Town was a small town, but not an old-fashioned one. The sun would not let up, no matter how hard the clouds in the sky tried to gang up on it. "Why don't you check on Riley? He's gonna be late for his meeting with Ms. Maple."

"Awroof!"

The staircase leading up to Riley's room seemed so big in the eyes of a Pupsky. But it was just that much more fun to jump from step to step when they were so big! The young boy's bedroom door was left opened just slightly, which was just enough for Pupsky to dig his nose in and crawl through the door.

Oof! Riley was shocked awake by the force of a small dog on his belly. Immediately after being rudely awakened, he got a wet tongue right on the bridge of his nose. Someone was also waiting in his doorway. "Hey Riley," asked the tall, large figure in the door. "You know what day it is, right?"

Of course Riley knew what day it was! It was none other than his birthday! He was so excited to find out what sort of presents he'd get that he ran downstairs before even getting out of his pajamas.

"Here, I ordered your favourite. Chinoughnuts," his dad smiled, patting Riley's shoulder as he eyed his favourite food. He scarfed down at least three for breakfast, and his dad had one. "You'd better go get dressed, quickly. Remember your meeting with Ms. Maple in about half an hour?"

Riley had completely forgotten! He gasped, before sprinting upstairs. Pupsky curiously followed him, and jumped on his bed when it realized he was returning to his room. It was time to choose an outfit. He pulled his favourite clothes out of their spots in his drawers and closet. His favourite faded navy-blue baseball cap, the red and grey vest that his father had gotten him brand-new for his birthday, which he wore on top of a very light grey-coloured t-shirt that he felt comfortable in, his red and white shoes that had yellow buckles, the purple bandanna that his mother gave him years ago, which he fashioned around his neck, the jeans that he'd worn so often they'd begun to rip and fray, and a pair of fingerless gloves that he'd received as a gift from his best friend Lilly, and finally he tied his black sweater around his waist.

He looked himself over in the mirror. It was quite the look he had, but he liked it. It would have to do, because he was already almost late! He dashed downstairs and straight to the front door.

"Riley." His father stopped him right as he was walking out the door. "I wanted to give you some things before you go. Your birthday presents from me." Riley smiled at his dad and closed the door behind him before sitting at the kitchen table, where his father handed him a large box. He peered inside, and was delighted at what he found. A messenger-style bag in a blue, red, and purple colour scheme. He'd been eyeing it in the store that he'd seen it in when they visited Vancine City last week, and apparently his father had gotten it for him! He gave his dad a big hug, but the gifts didn't stop there. "Wait, I've got a couple more things to help you kick-start your adventure." Riley's dad pulled a small cardboard box off the table. It had a little square hole in the top that was covered by a clear layer of cheap plastic, and inside was a Chinoughnut, a doughnut that was made with a special recipe popular in the Chinocko region. They were, indeed, Riley's favourite food, but they were also safe for consumption by Pokemon.

"One more thing, dear." His father's smile was sweet when he handed his son a small purple spray bottle. "It's a Potion. It's for use on an injured Pokemon to soothe and heal the wounds acquired in battle."

With that, Riley's dad gave his son a goodbye wave as he watched Riley skip happily down the white bricks that made up the south side of town.

The south side of New Moon Town was home to Riley, his best friend Lilly, and a family that had two children much younger than Riley and Lilly, both of whom were eleven as of today. The north side was the one more traveled, though, as it was home to Professor Maple's laboratory. It was also always covered in beautifully red leaves because of its very unique and specific geographical details. And right in the center of town was a black walkway which lead from the eastern entrance into the walled-in town to the western entrance. And right in the very middle of town was a fountain that was popular among the locals as a place to meet.

Sitting on the edge of the fountain was none other than the fashionable Lilly herself, checking through her own bag. She had hair of a deep, shiny brown as opposed to Riley's matte, cobalt hair. Her eyes, as well, in opposition to Riley's ebony eyes, were a sky-like sapphire. Her outfit was not very different to his. She wore an identical red hat, a blue crop-top blouse over a similar white shirt to Riley's own, only smaller so that it showed a cute amount of her belly. Instead of a bandanna around her neck like Riley, she had a scarf, though it was exactly the same colour as Riley's bandanna. Just like Riley, she had tied her nice purple sweater around her waist. She wasn't wearing any gloves, unlike Riley, but her pants were in a much better condition than his. And to top it all off, she was even wearing the same shoes as him, only hers had a slight heel on them. "Hey, it's the birthday boy!"

Riley smiled and waved as he walked up and rested his behind on the fountain beside her. Lilly had celebrated her eleventh birthday only three days before Riley, and as a result, she was invited to the same meeting with Professor Maple as he was. "Excited for our meeting with the Professor? I sure am! I wonder why she wanted to see us, as opposed to any other child in Chinocko? Probably because we live close to her house and her lab, but... I'm getting ahead of myself. How are you, Riley? Get lots of presents?"

Riley smiled and nodded, but there were still more presents for him. He could feel it. "Let's walk to the lab together, why don't we?" Lilly let some of the clear water from the fountain wet her hand before she rubbed the cold, refreshing water on her cheeks.

The laboratory was a noble building, even before they got inside. Even just approaching it, it looked grand. It was easily the largest building in New Moon Town, and it was built right into the wall that surrounded the circular town. The main door was on a tall section that was almost an entire storey taller than all of the houses in the town. To the right of the main entrance was a garage door that had a truck parked outside of it. The door and the truck had the same PokeBall-inspired logo on them. To the left of the main doorway was a small pond that was surrounded by glass fences to keep people from going inside. However, there was a door from the lab that led onto a small bridge that was attached to an equally small island in the middle of the pond that had a bench on it. It was... romantic. Especially because the entire north half of New Moon Town was absolutely flooded with red maple leaves, some of which were floating lazily in the pond's water.

"Let's head inside, no?" Lilly smiled, walking in through the lab's electric sliding main doors. Right behind her was Riley, who was practically hopping with excitement. Before walking into Maple's office, Lilly playfully repositioned her ponytail so that it rested on the strap of her messenger-style bag that was on her sleek shoulder. Then, she knocked on the black door that had a one-way window on it the colour of dawn itself. "You made it!"

"Professor Maple!" Lilly laughed, bursting with excitement.

Riley waved, grinning so wide every single tooth in his mouth could be seen.

"This is a very important meeting, but I'll try to keep it short," the Professor explained. "You. Are getting. Pokemon."

Lilly and Riley both grabbed each other at the news. They looked ready to scream. "Really!? My very own Pokemon to battle with and train!?"

"That's right, Lilly." The Professor looked oh so happy to see the children from her hometown so ecstatic. "But the Pokemon I'm going to give you are from a very endangered species, so you'll have to treat them with the utmost respect and care, understood?"

"Understood!"

"And it comes with a responsibility, too," Maple said, getting serious.

"A responsibility? I can handle it!" was Lilly's hopeful response. Riley pumped his fist, agreeing that he, too, could handle whatever responsibility he needed to have the privilege of owning his very own Pokemon.

"You sure?" questioned Professor Maple. "Okay." She nodded. "Because I study Pokemon conservation and rehabilitation, I need you both to gather information on the Pokemon you find throughout Chinocko while you're traveling it with your Pokemon companions. In other words, I need you both to fill a PokeDex for me."

"A what-Dex?" Lilly asked, confused.

"One of these." Maple took a red device out of her pocket. It had a cyan scanner on its top area, and a similar-coloured screen in its center. "Information on every species of Pokemon found in Chinocko, and even the world, is stored in a PokeDex. The Chinocko PokeDex was started by my great great grandfather, over two hundred years ago when he had to record his findings in a journal. Now, though, it's much easier to utilize this information because it's been stored in a device, which we call the PokeDex."

Lilly beamed, "that's really exciting! You want me to scan every Pokemon in Chinocko with it!? Even the scary ones!?"

"Yes, Lilly. I believe in you." The Professor nodded, her beautiful eyes closing gently as her head craned down, and opening into a new, more determined-looking pair when her head reeled back up. "I decided to ask you two for your help because I believe that the children of this generation are the future of our world, and we have to give them experiences so they can learn what is necessary for creating the utopia that humans have always strived to achieve."

"You sure are motivational," giggled Lilly.

"I'm also determined to help Pokemon," Maple sighed, "that get injured because of human intervention, and it's my liberty to relocate them to places they can thrive. But I can't do that if I don't have the information in the PokeDex."

"I understand." Lilly stomped her foot down, showing her determination.

"And you, Riley? Are you up to the task?"

He nodded and stood as straight as his spine would allow.

"Perfect! Now, Riley, because you're the birthday boy, you get to have the first pick of your Pokemon."


	2. Chapter 2

Professor Maple guided the two youngsters, Riley and Lilly, to a projector screen in the back of her office. Using the tablet that she kept held professionally in the crook of her arm, the projector showed an image of a cute, green bear on the screen. "This is Cubbush," she began to explain. "It's a Grass-type Pokemon that is very endangered. Very few are left in the wild, so I'm giving you the choice to nurture one so that it can't be badly injured."

With another tap on her tablet, Maple made the projector show a picture of a blue eel with what appeared to be a skull over its eyes. "This is Elelel, the Eel Pokemon. Climate change, an effect of failed resurce management, has caused it to no longer be able to survive in Chinockan waters. So I hope, if you pick it, you will treat it kindly and make sure it feels like it still belongs in our pleasant region."

Once again, Maple switched the image displayed on the projector screen. Now, it showed a cute mouse-like creature that was poking its head out of its shell, which was releasing smoke and a hot-looking, thick liquid. "This Pokemon is Burndillo, and because its habitat was sacrificed in order to expand Eclisse City, its only environmental niche was destroyed. It has no place to go, so treat it with love if you pick it."

Maple nodded determinedly. "So, Riley, who will it be?"

He pondered. This was a big decision. He hadn't walked into Maple Labs knowing he'd have to make this decision. Cubbush was adorable, and it looked like it would grow up into a strong, protective Pokemon. Burndillo looked like it really needed love and support, and Riley would feel wrong not lending it to the tiny little thing. But Elelel was so cool-looking that he wondered what it could be capable of.

"Take your time, Riley," Maple said. "This is an important decision, and I don't expect you to rush it."

Lilly, however, looked seriously impatient. She was practically stomping with impatience. Luckily, though, Riley had settled upon a decision.

He walked over and picked up the PokeBall that was sitting on the orange file document on Maple's desk.

"Burndillo? Smart choice, I'm sure you'll love him! But be careful about his leaking body fluid. It's a result of its shell's odd growth pattern, but it burns to touch!"

Lilly strutted right up. "I wanted that one...!"

"Now, Lilly," scoled the Professor. "Pokemon aren't just things. You can't just choose them like you can candies at the super market. You have to develop a relationship with them. And once you do, you'll love them no matter which ones you find."

"But..." Lilly looked frustrated. "Okay then, I understand. I think I'll pick the Water-type Pokemon, Elelel, just to have the advantage against Riley."

"Oh Lilly." Ms Maple pressed her index finger against the bridge of her nose and giggled. "So say, why don't we have a battle outside by the fountain?"

The atmosphere of the fountain changed completely. It went from the backdrop of selfies to the backdrop of a Pokemon battle in mere breaths! "Ready?"

Riley and Lilly both nodded silently.

"Go!"

"Elelel, I can't wait to see what you're capable of!" The blue Pokemon with translucent fins running along its entire back and belly swam through the air and glared at Burndillo, its rival for now.

Riley looked over at Burndillo, and the beige-coloured Pokemon immediately knew what to do. It rolled itself up into a ball using its shell and rolled onto the battlefield. Its movement was awkward, but Riley believed in it.

"Elelel, use Tackle!" Lilly grinned, her spirit on fire with the heat of battle.

"Elel! L'el!" The Pokemon that had a shell over its upper face and had deep yellow eyes that were hidden in shadow swam up to the Pokemon across from it and bashed its forehead into it.

"Dillo! Bur-burn!" Burndillo seemed angered by being attacked. It looked back at Riley for instruction, and just by looking into the trainer's eyes it knew he wanted him to use Scratch. And that's exactly the attack it delivered to Elelel.

"Elelel, Tackle again!" Lilly exclaimed, clearly ecstatic to be battling with a real-live Pokemon for her first time. It was so much cooler than smacking Pokemon-shaped dolls together!

Elelel's Tackle, however, missed! The small Pokemon backed up, looking worried that it might have upset its trainer. And Lilly looked upset alright.

Burndillo rolled up to Elelel and, as soon as it popped out of its circular form, it used Scratch, scratching Elelel right across its skull-shaped face.

Elelel wasn't down, though, and it countered with a strong Tackle! Burndillo looked back to Riley, but it received a command it did not expect to. Leer. Its eyes became dark as it gave Elelel a very serious look, and the eel became afraid. Its Defences lowered!

But not its Attack! Elelel delivered a full-force Tackle right to Burndillo's stomach! In pain, the shell-covered Pokemon rolled up into a ball. But it knew it couldn't hide and let Riley down. It bounced back by delivering the Tackle its trainer asked for, and with Elelel's Defenses lowered, it went down nobly.

Professor Maple exclaimed, "Elelel is no longer able to battle! Burndillo and Riley win the battle!"

"Congrats, Riley." Lilly sighed, shaking her best friend's hand. "You won our first battle! But I won't let that streak last long!"

Riley chuckled and pet Burndillo's soft head fur.

"You two ready for your very own Pokemon journeys?" Professor Maple asked with a wide smile.

"Am I ever!" Lilly was jumping up and down, as was Riley.

"I'll give you some things to take with you, then. This," she said, pulling out two of the PokeDex devices she'd demonstrated before, "is your PokeDex. Every Pokemon you encounter will be registered, and every Pokemon you catch will be described by its stored intelligence."

"Wow," Lilly gasped. "A PokeDex! This is so surreal!"

"But that's not all! I've also gotten you both PokeVices. PokeVice is the short term for Pokemon Device. It goes around your wrist, and you can manage a lot of things with it, like calls and video chats, using its Malasarri City-style holographic screen."

"Wooooow!"

Riley clipped his PokeVice around his wrist, and held it up to the light where the sapphire node that would project a holographic screen when he activated it glimmered in the sun's light.

"And these," Maple stressed, "are very important. Your Trainer's License."

Lilly questioned, "Trainer's License?"

"Yes. In Chinocko, it's required for Pokemon Trainers to have a license, and these are yours. It has your name, age, and a picture of you on it, as well as other information that will be important further on in your journey."

"Wow, that's so exciting!" beamed Lilly.

"Just one moment," Maple nodded. "I need to take your picture for the license."

Riley and Lilly both posed for their shot.

"Perfect! You can use any photo of yourself that you take, but remember to always keep your Trainer License on hand and up-to-date."

"I got it!" Lilly nodded. Riley nodded immediately after her.

"You guys should head to Route 3, to the west. We'll meet at Torutara Town, which is at the entrance of the forest."

And with that, they were off. Their journeys had finally begun.

Riley gave the wall that surrounded his hometown of New Moon a goodbye wave before heading out to the autumn-coloured trail. There was a rocky path through the maple-leaf-covered route, and some benches that trainers were sitting on. Riley knew to be careful. Talk was massive about engaging a battle with a fellow Trainer by making eye contact with them.

"You're Riley, right?"

Riley practically jumped. He nodded.

"I saw you at the store a couple days ago! My name's Harry. Youngster Harry! I'm trying to practice my Pokemon Battle skills so I can register for my license when I'm your age."

Riley nodded, agreeing to battle the young one.

Harry sent out a small rabbit Pokemon that had a few small diamonds of pale-brown on its white body. He aimed his PokeDex at it, "Number 13, Cottontuft. Normal-type. The Fluffy-Tailed Pokèmon. Cottontuft are very small Pokèmon that live in small dens, often in the side of small elevations. They have spots on their bodies that apparently are linked to sensitive nerves. Very popular among beginner trainers."

Riley nodded and harrumphed in understanding. He sent Burndillo into battle!

"Cottontuft, Tackle!"

The small, frail Pokemon hopped adorably over to Burndillo, its nose twitching rapidly. It pulled back on its thick hind legs and propelled itself towards Burndillo. The armadillo-like Pokemon looked upset and hurt, but it looked back at its beloved friend and trainer for instructions. Tackle. It approached the weak bunny Pokemon and used the same move that it had been attacked with, causing the little creature to faint.

"Aww man! I can't beat a real-live Pokemon Trainer yet..." Harry huffed and sniffed, upset. He handed over a small bill that Riley accepted as a reward for winning.

In the leaves! Something was moving! A Pokemon, no doubt! He would have to approach it to test his skills. But not before healing Burndillo using the Potion that his father had gifted him. The Pokemon jumped out of the red, brown, and orange pile of leaves, and Burndillo rushed to protect its trainer!

"Sto-stoaf-aff!" the Pokemon cried.

Riley pointed the scanner on his PokeDex at it, and heard the following recited to him: "Number 15, Stoaf. Normal- and Ground-type. The Long-Bodied Pokèmon. Stoaf are nimble Pokèmon who are great at climbing trees. They are also fantastic diggers. They eat insectoid Pokèmon and leaves. Their long tails are great for many things, including hanging from branches. Stoaf's tails also make up for over half of their body mass and weight. The patterns along their backs are also supposed to have some significance, but to humans, that significance is unknown."

"Stooo-AFF!" The Pokemon's growl brought Riley immediately back to his situation.

Burndillo knew RIley wanted him to attack, and so it did, using the new move it had just learned through its battle with the Cottontuft, which was Bite. It bit down on the Stoaf's meaty tail and the Pokemon took serious damage. The long-bodied creature retaliated by using Scratch, which caused Budnillo to accidentally roll backwards in its shell. But it got back up, and finished off the opposing Stoaf with a Tackle, making the Pokemon faint! Phew, what a close call.

There! The archway over the trail that signified the entrance to Torutara Town! Riley ran into the town, which was significantly larger than New Moon Town, but not particularly a 'large' town.

Much of the town was forested, and trees lined the wooden street over the brick foundation. The houses were all lined up in neat rows, unlike New Moon Town where the five to seven houses were placed wherever they fit inside its walls. The town didn't have a wall like New Moon did, but instead the houses and shops were lined up in such a way that they created their own walls surrounding the winding wooden road. It was so aesthetic, and Riley had only ever been to Torutara Town a couple times before.

It was large enough that it had a Pokemon Centre all to itself. Riley walked inside, knowing he needed to give Burndillo a quick heal. "Hi, I'm Nurse Joy. I work at the Pokemon Centre here. You want me to take your Pokemon in for a quick restore?" asked a woman with odd, but stylish hot-pink hair. Riley nodded, and handed her Burndillo's PokeBall.

She put it into a healing machine, and instructed Riley to find something to do for a couple minutes. So, he checked out the PokeMart in the left corner of the building. "Hi, how may I help you today?" Riley looked at the holographic screen that was being projected from the desk, and selected two Potions. "That comes to 200, young sir." The desk worker went into the back of the store and brought out two Potions, as Riley had requested. He accepted the change that Riley gave him and put it into the cash register. "Have a nice day!"

"Riley, your Pokemon is healed!" called Nurse Joy. Riley walked over with a smile and gave Nurse Joy a polite wave when he left the Pokemon Centre, Burndillo's shiny new PokeBall in hand.

"Hey, Riley, over here!" It was Lilly's voice, no doubt. He looked around for her. She was standing in the middle of the stage to the north, which was at the heart of Torutara Town similar to New Moon Town's fountain. He ran up the steps and onto the stage with her.

"With my Pokemon's new move, I ask you that we have another Pokemon Battle!" she proclaimed. Riley couldn't turn her down; he was all set, so it would be cowardly to turn down a battle with a fellow trainer, much less his best friend.

"Okay, Elelel, show him your new power!"

Burndillo heard Riley's determined grunt the moment it was released from its PokeBall. It knew it was time for battle, and with its pleasant friend Elelel no less. It hopped up and down in its shell with excitement.

Burndillo had the first move, so it used Bite on Elelel. It was a critical hit, and Elelel nearly fainted, but holding on, the eel used Bite back. Burndillo was hurt by being bit, but it didn't recieve as much damage as its opponent. It used Tackle, because it knew Riley would have told it to if he weren't such a silent trainer. But right before Burndillo could land its Tackle, Lilly sprayed a Potion on Elelel. Elelel, revitalized with Lilly's Potion, took the attack very well. Burndillo attacked again, this time using its stronger move, Bite, and sending Elelel unconscious!

Riley hadn't noticed, but the battle between the two had gathered a crowd of viewers. By being from the neighbouring town, he knew that this was the stage that people in Torutara Town who wanted to give or receive a show went to for said show. It was most commonly a place for battles, but concerts and even marriage proposals were really common on this stage.

"Wow, what a great battle between brand-new trainers." "I could feel the heat from here!" "They're going to grow up into strong trainers, I can tell, right?" "I wonder where they got rare Pokemon like that."

There were at least fifteen to twenty people who had gathered to witness the battle. One of those people was even Professor Maple. Without fear, she stepped up onto the stage as well. "You two are doing great. Your Pokemon are growing so well, and you've only had two battles with each other."

Lilly blushed, "I'm glad you think so, Professor."

"Please," Maple assured, "call me Maple."

"Maple, right!" Lilly smiled brightly. "What've you got for us this time?"

"The reason I wanted you here is because my young assistant, Akili, lives here. I had her prepare some PokeBalls to start you off on your adventure filling out the PokeDex."

A girl not much older than Riley or Lilly, who had black, curly hair and chocolate-coloured skin, with shimmering green eyes, stepped onto the stage. She held two trays, each with ten PokeBalls rolling around on it. "These, guys, are for you."

"You must be Akili," Lilly decoded.

Akili replied, "You must be Lilly!" She smiled and gave a modest wave. "You're right, I am Akili, Professor Maple's assistant. Take your PokeBalls. As players on Professor Maple's Pokemon conservation team, catching and protecting Pokemon will be as helpful as possible to us.

"Great! Thanks!" Lilly excitedly grabbed her PokeBalls, and after that, Riley grabbed his with the same enthusiasm, if not more.

"Akili and I," the Professor started, "are going to be in the Pokemon Trainer School in Sherrow City, which is east of here, through Tempura Forest, the largest forest that still remains in Chinocko."

"Awesome, can we come?" Lilly asked politely.

"Sure, come along if you like, but the Pokemon in Tempura Forest are strong. Be careful going through it."


	3. Chapter 3

Indeed, to the east pf the stage Riley and Lilly had battled on was a wooden arch that lead into a sea of trees so thick you could hardly see the interior through the wall of trees that lined the city's exit. Professor Maple in her professional-looking tuxedo-blouse and skirt, and Akili in her knee-length skirt and puffy sweater walked into the woods. Lilly followed them, leaving Riley behind. It was up to him what he wanted to do, but what else was there to do than enter the forest?

Tempura Forest's air was thick, but easy to breathe. The sound of rushing creaks was inescapable, but relaxing. The trees were, many, so tall that Riley couldn't see their tops. And the ground was very, very, very grassy. There was so much grass that Pokemon could easily thrive here by hiding in it. Riley looked around, before finding himself knee-deep in grass. He would have to be careful, because- ah!

A Pokemon sprung out of the tall grass, just as the Stoaf had jumped out of the leaves on Route 3. He readied Burndillo to weaken the Pokemon. It was a very, very small Pokemon; so small, in fact, that it could fit in Riley's palm. He silently ordered Burndillo to use Tackle, and its single attack was enough to make the Pokemon weak. That's when Riley took a PokeBall from his bag and threw it at the Pokemon. It gently bumped it before the Pokemon was whisked inside of it in the form of a white beam of light.

It shook a couple times, but eventually, the button on the PokeBalls front glowed a cool gold. He'd caught the Pokemon! He looked at his PokeDex to see what Pokemon it was he had caught. "Number 27, Concealpillar. Bug-type. The Shy Bug Pokèmon. Concealpillar are incredibly shy. From birth, they craft hoods made out of their silky saliva in order to conceal themselves. They tend to avoid social situations, but are easily befriended if one were to actually get through to one. When using special attacks, they pull their hoods closed because they're afraid of seeing others be hurt by their attacks."

Riley tilted his head in a gesture that he thought Concealpillar was really quite cute. He let it out of its PokeBall and restored it using one of the Potions he'd bought in Torutara Town. Soon, he encountered a section of the trail that had two rocks blocking most of it. There was only enough space between the big rocks for one person, and there was already someone there. The person must have heard Riley's footsteps in the thick grass, because he turned around. He was wearing a stylish trench coat in a desaturated navy blue colour. His hair was a similar colour to Riley's, and he had thick eyebrows, equally thick sideburns, and a stylish goatee that went well with the rest of his style. His hair was up in spikes that faced on a slight diagonal to his left side. It was odd, but stylish. On top of that, he wore pretty run-of-the-mill jeans and a shirt that looked identical to Riley's grey t-shirt, only resized to fit the man's figure better. He had a thick belt with a fashionable buckle, which had a small pack clipped onto it, which appeared to have space for a handful of items and a slot for a tablet like Professor Maple's, only smaller.

That last detail was strongly reinforced by the fact that his face was focused intently on the holographic screen of a tablet. "Hello there. Oh, I must be blocking your path, am I?"

Riley nodded politely.

"My deepest apologies. I was only studying the Pokemon and environment here to assist my Pokemon conservation efforts. My name is Eric. I'm done researching Tempura Woods now anyway, so I'll be off. I'd be pleased to see you again in the future."

Heh, Riley couldn't help but chuckle at how sweet and polite that man was. He gave him a friendly wave goodbye as the man, Eric, left, before continuing on down the path that was no longer blocked by a person.

There was an aesthetic pond past that pair of rocks that was fed by at least three different creek that were flowing in three different directions. There were some people sitting on rocks and there were some cute Pokemon that looked like frogs sitting on the lillypads that were in the pond. Riley, not being able to swim, would not be able to reach them, but perhaps one day.

But there was another trainer who was more important to him, and that was Lilly. "Hey Riley. You catch any new Pokemon?" Riley's response to Lilly's question was a simple nod, as it always was. "Cool! I found a new friend, too. Its name is Hermiflage. It's a really cute little thing that keeps a bunch of grass and ground and dirt and stuff on its back so that it doesn't get spotted. But my eye is keener than that!" Riley chuckled at Lilly's enthusiasm.

She sighed, looking admittedly quite terrified. "See that?" She was pointing to a huge log that had been cut in half to make a bridge across a rocky drop. "That's Tempura Forest's infamous log bridge." Lilly gulped. "I'm so scared I'll slip on the slippery bark and fall through the rope railing or something. I can't cross alone!"

Riley put his sleek hand on his best friend's shoulder, reassuring her that it would be okay. "Y-you'll cross with me?" asked Lilly. Riley nodded, and they carefully crossed the half-log bridge and made it safely to the other side, where they saw the entrance to Sherrow City, a city not many people would visit for tourism, but one with plenty of useful facilities like, for example, the Pokemon Trainer School.

Similar to Vancine City, a skytrain line cast its shadow on the grounds of Sherrow City. But unlike Vancine City, the ground was primarily grassy, with only paving on trails where pedestrians walk. It felt like the past and the future colliding to create an alternate version of the present, or at least that's how Riley would describe it.

It was a good-sized city. Big enough to require a skytrain for more convenient travel. "Oh, you two made it." It was the Professor, who was accompanied by Akili. "The Pokemon Trainer School is located right by the exit into Osuyasa Desert, the only desert climate in Chinocko. Due to a persistent sandstorm, though, it's off limits currently."

"Darn," Lilly sighed. "I wanted to check out the desert Pokemon that Chinocko has."

"It's okay," reassured the Professor. "It can only stay stormy for a finite period of time. But it's not worth waiting for it to stop when we've got so many other important things to attend to."

"Like our meeting with the Trainer School Research Department?" added Akili.

"Yes, precisely," Maple nodded. "The meeting will take us a while, you two, but it's important that you wait for us to finish up before trying to go anywhere else and potentially getting into trouble."

"Got it, Maple." Lilly nodded and turned to Riley. "Hey, Riley, while they're busy, why don't we check out the Ice Rink? I heard that there's a hockey game happening soon!" In response, Riley smiled and pumped his fist. To the Ice Rink!

"Two tickets for the hockey game, please!" Lilly asked of the box office employee.

"Alright, enjoy the game!" The brown-haired teenager behind the glass slid two blue tickets through the slot in the glass.

The two walked in after a girl in a black outfit ripped the stubs off their tickets and let them through the doors of the arena. "Enjoy the game!"

Riley and Lilly both sat down in their seats three rows up from the ice, and put their boxes of popcorn in their laps. The game started not long after they sat down, and the players skated onto the ice. The game started immediately when all of the players were in position, and the arena became hot as the friction of the skates on the thick ice.

"I'm so excited!" Lilly giggled. "Everyone in Chinocko loves hockey! It's part of our culture, practically." She looked over at Riley, "there's even some Pokemon in Chinocko that like playing hockey, like Machamp, Lucario, Cryluchagon and Delibird!" She giggled and grinned, remembering how much her cousin's Lucario loved to skate and slap the puck around with its paws.

Riley smiled too. His dad and himself always played hockey together when he was younger. They went to Quartzel Lake in the winter when it froze over and skated for hours in the nippy cold.

They returned their focus to the game. Two smaller local teams were playing against each other, the Sherrow Machoke and the Snowfalle City Snowswarm! Everyone, player and audience alike, was spilling out with excitement. Every move was received with an excited cheer that waved across the audience. It was just like it always was, and Riley relished in the happiness of everyone around him.

The announcer made every move more exciting, and every goal was followed by a siren blare that was quiet in comparison to the reactions of the audience members. The game lasted about an hour, which was short for a usual hockey game. It ended on a close call, with the Snowfalle City Snowswarm losing to the Sherrow Machoke by only a single point.

"That was great, wasn't it, Riley?" Lilly grinned, taking a sip of her drink that she'd bought inside the arena.

"Hey, you two. What great timing, our meeting just wrapped up," waved Maple. Standing next to her was Akili, her familiar assistant, as well as a stranger.

The stranger was tall, had pitch-black hair, snow-white skin, and golden eyes. She had on a fashionable necklace which had a pendant inspired by the common Pokemon, Fractiamond, around her neck. A locke of her hair curled beside her nose, around her ear, and into a scrunchy that started a ponytail in the back of her hair. Her glasses had thin rims and were practically invisible. On her torso was a fashionable dress that appeared to be based off the design of a kimono. The sleeves were long and ended in a bell shape, but only one of them was attached to the shirt part. The other sleeve was attached to the lady's arm by a silver arm band. She had on skinny jeans that were tucked snuggly into her heeled boots, and from one of the belt loops hung a chain that wrapped around her pocket and connected to another belt loop in the back of the jeans.

Her voice was mature and soft as she pronounced, "Hello, you two. I'm Nalia, a teacher at the university over in Vancine City. I met Professor Maple and Akili here in the Trainer School to discuss the Pokemon League and the treatment of the Pokemon that belong to Gym Leaders and the other ranks of trainers in Chinocko's League." She paused and looked at the two eleven-year olds. "You seem like you're going to become strong Trainers yourselves. Why don't you start your Pokemon League challenge at my gym in Vancine City? I specialize in Normal-type Pokemon because I enjoy starting Trainers off with their first Chinocko League Gym Badge. Stop by. Vancine City, if you didn't already know, is West of New Moon Town, across Route 2, which the Fractal River runs through. Meet you there!"

"Let's head back," Lilly smiled, following in Nalia's path.

"Akili and I, " nodded Maple, "will be back in my labs in New Moon Town." With that, those two also headed back into Tempura Forest.

Riley stopped at the Pokemon Centre in Sherrow City before heading back himself. He fearlessly traversed the woods, but someone, again, was blocking the slim path between the rocks, where Pokemon Conservationist Eric had been standing before.

"Oh, hey," they said, not particularly with any discernible emotion. "Am I in your way?"

Riley nodded politely.

"Too bad. I'm busy." The speaker was a boy not too much older than Riley, who was wearing a nearly-black outfit. He wore fingerless gloves identical to Riley's, had pitch-black hair, thick boots that could withstand all terrains, and a triangular d-shaped symbol on his chest. Over his eyes was a green holo-screen that made his eyes look emerald-coloured.

Riley tried to find another way around the young man, but couldn't. He tapped the guy's shoulder again.

"What? I told you I'm busy. You lookin' for a battle with a Grunt of Team Delta, because you've got one!" He took on a battle-ready position, and inputted something into the keyboard on his left wrist. "Show this kid who's boss, Eevee!"

Out of a Dusk Ball hopped a cute fox-like Pokemon, Eevee. "Ve'e!" it barked. Its tail started wagging when it saw that it was being used in a battle.

"Cea-lar!" chittered Concealpillar. It pulled its silky hood shut, fearful of battle. Riley looked guilty when he noticed that it was so scared, but commanded it to use Bug Bite. It waddled over to Eevee and reluctantly bit it on the ear. The furry Pokemon's ear broke out into an allergic reaction and a couple red bumps appeared.

Eeve scratched its ear, trying to satisfy the itch that had sprouted. "My prized Eevee," the 'Team Delta Grunt' started. "Use Bite!"

Eevee skipped energetically over to Concealpillar and bit it on its chest. It jumped back, not wanting to be countered. But the insectoid Pokemon wouldn't let it get away with hurting it! It scurried over and used Tackle, whacking Eevee with its big, round head.

"Eev...!" Eevee sighed as it feel to the ground, its eyes shutting.

"No, my poor, lovely Pokemon!" yelped the trainer who was standing in Riley's way. "I'll get you right to the Pokemon Centre, and then give you all the Chinoughnuts you can eat, within reason, of course." He left in the direction of Torutara Town. "You may have gotten your way this time, but I won't let you beat me again!"


	4. Chapter 4

Riley sighed and proceeded through Tempura Forest. Before long, he was back in Torutara town, where he grinned as the black-wearing boy he'd battled earlier walked into the Pokemon Centre. He walked right past it and proceeded to Route 3, where he crossed over to New Moon Town.

"Hey, Riley." It was a voice that he could never get tired of hearing. His dad. "I guess you're going on your Pokemon journey now?" His father smiled, and placed a big, strong, but soft hand on Riley's shoulder. "I'll miss you."

He brought Riley back home. "I wanted you to leave home on a good note, but I wasn't sure if you'd be back. I'm glad you did! I made you your favourite Oran pie."

Riley's dad smiled at his son with the utmost love in his eyes. He put a plate with a pie that had a bright blue, gooey filling on it on the kitchen table, where he'd sat Riley down. "I hope you enjoy it."

He sighed, "I met your mother while I was on my Pokemon journey. Did you know that?" He picked up Pupsky and pet the swirls of white fur on its temples. "She worked in the Pokemon Centre and I always flew back to that very Pokemon Centre when my team needed a good healing. Her only Pokemon was a Barksky. It had an egg with my Huskowl, and Pupsky here had hatched not even a day after you were born." Riley's dad laughed as his cute little Pokemon licked the scruff on his chin. "Ha, yeah, you did hatch that day, didn't you boy? I should really go see my Pokemon again... I left them in the Virtual Paradise and I only ever get the chance to see them when you're not home. Maybe I'll bring them all back home now that you're not going to be here for a while. But, if you do decide to come back and see your old man again, I'll make you your favourite meals and restore your team back to health."

Pupsky jumped down from Riley's father's arms and hopped up and down, scratching at Riley's pant legs, who was trying to get out the door. Riley smiled and pet the little puppy Pokemon.

"Riley," giggled his dad. "I think Pupsky wants to go with you. It's known you its entire life. You can't just not take it with you on your Pokemon journey."

Riley agreed, and picked up Pupsky in his arms, letting the Pokemon lick his face without any retaliation but giggles. "Baruof!"

"Heh, have fun, my son. Don't push yourself or your Pokemon too hard, okay?" In response, Riley nodded and put Pupsky on the ground. Its fluffy tail wagged as it hopped on its stubby legs to keep up with Riley.

Riley waved to his dad as he proceeded west to Route 2, which connected Chinocko's smallest town to its biggest city, Vancine City.

Through the middle of the route was the famous Fractal River, which was raging and splashing all about, just like always. The route had been split in half by the torrential river. It was too rough to even be swam in, even by Pokemon. But one of Chinocko's endangered species, Maskalmon, were jumping through the torrents over the river's path. If only Riley had a fishing rod.

Riley picked up Pupsky so it wouldn't accidentally be dragged into the raging river. Route 2 was divided into two sides. The right and left. And bridges were made out of everything on hand to keep the sides connected. Riley walked over a short bridge that connected the cliff right next to New Moon Town's wall to the right side of the main section of Route 2. He crossed over a hollowed-out tree bridge, too, which led him to the left side. There, he saw a tree that looked similar to the one that he'd just crossed. Maybe he could cut it down if he had a Pokemon that could chop trees. He'd have to come back later and see.

"Ah, the bridges here are even scarier than the one in Tempura Forest!" yelped a distressed Lilly who was sitting scaredly at the edge of a bridge that looked like it had been damaged quite a bit by the raging river below. "Riley, I know it's pretty ridiculous, but could I ask you to cross with me again?"

Riley smiled and put a hand on Lilly's shoulder, showing her that he thought that her fear was completely rational. "Thanks, my best friend," smiled Lilly. She grabbed Riley's hand, who was also holding Pupsky, and crossed the bridge. "I'm so grateful to be sharing this adventure with you. I don't know what I'd do without you!" She ran on ahead and walked into another forest entrance. It was a small break in the route that all trainers had to cross to make it to Route 1. He followed her in.

"Good luck on your way to Vancine City. Route 1's nature bridge is full of tall grass, which means it's also full of wild Pokemon!" Lilly walked ahead, out of the forest patch and onto the next route, Route 1.

Riley tried to follow her, but he was stopped by a curious bird-like Pokemon's silhouette that flew threw a thick patch of brush. As it did, a grey light glowed and the brambles and branches slithered back into the bushes, creating a path. He couldn't help but follow it, but when he did, the brush grew back into place, blocking him in.

He looked around. He was at the steps of a ruined temple-like structure. The ceiling was hardly connected, and only the framework and a handful of bricks remained. At the heart of the ruins was a pedestal, and behind it was a small tree, into the bark of which was carved the image of a helmet that had wings coming out of its temple region. It was carved in the style of a totem pole, and it was coloured grey like the light that cleared the way for Riley to get here.

On the pedestal were two structures that looked like arms. On the wrists of them were wings, and in the hands of them was a pendant-like object that looked like it was cracked off of something larger. It was a pale indigo colour, like clouds on a cold winter night, and it had on it what appeared to be a back paw, like that of Pupsky's, as well as a big, fluffy tail.

Riley reached and picked it up. It hovered above his palm, astonishing him. The image of a humanoid Pokemon that had wings on its wrists and a helmet over its eyes and nose that looked like a bird's skull, complete with an intimidating beak, appeared in the air between the pedestal and the totem. It spoke to Riley in the language of Pokemon before disappearing in a storm of feathers. As it did, the brush that Riley had walked through to get here separated again. He put Pupsky in its PokeBall and put the Mysterious Pendant in his bag, and walked back through the pathway, the brush closing behind him again. Perplexed, he proceeded out of the forest patch and out to Route 1.

On Route 1 was a nature bridge that crossed over a highway. On it ran cute wild Pokemon like Raindeer. He curiously scanned the long-legged Pokemon with his PokeDex and it read out to him, "Raindeer. Water- and Normal-type. The Tiny-Horned Pokèmon. Their tiny horns grow slowly as they age, and are used for storing water that they drink. Raindeer can launch water at a pressure strong enough to cut sheet metal, but because they are so docile, they only use this ability in extreme danger. Their speed is unrivaled in their habitat, and their fur is softer than dandelion fluff." He fell apart as the image of the adorable Pokemon was projected on the screen before him. He wanted to pet it so bad, but it would have just run away from him.

Other Pokemon were on the bridge, too, like a Pikachu that had a red maple leaf pierced around its ear. He scanned it with his PokeDex. "Number 25, Pikachu. The Electric Mouse Pokemon. Native to Chinocko, the Pikachu in this region wear red maple leaves around their ears as a sign of their cultural identity. Pikachu brought into Chinocko from other regions are often perplexed by the trend."

Riley chuckled, fascinated. He crossed the grassy bridge, looking over the moss-covered railing at the cars passing below. What caused cars to run? Riley hadn't been exposed to that knowledge, as he'd always been living in a town small enough that he could walk through it conveniently without ever needing to drive a car. Even Sherrow City wasn't that large, and there was a skytrain system there so even if people did have a long distance to travel, they could just take that.

Whatever propelled cars, it stank and caused grey gases to escape out of the bottom of them. Riley didn't really ever want a car. He found them gross and unappealing. Pokemon riding wasn't out of date, either, so if he really needed to get somewhere quickly, he would rather just ride on the back of a Pokemon.

Without doddling on it, he proceeded into Vancine City, which had an Entrance Gate on it, which only the most high-end of cities had in Chinocko. The gate worker behind the desk waved. "Welcome to Vancine City, Riley! Here for some shopping as usual? Nalia, our Gym Leader here, just got back. She said to tell you to check out her gym."

Riley nodded at the familiar gate worker and walked forward, letting Pupsky out of its PokeBall so it could walk beside him. He proceeded into Chinocko's largest city. He looked around him. Even right out of the Entrance Gate, Vancine was huge. Towering buildings surrounded the street, and Riley could easily have gotten lost. Vancine City was so big that it had three Pokemon Centres. One in the very heart of town, one by the well-known Vancine Fishery, and one by the park. He walked through the town, scouting out for any shortcuts to the gym at the north side of town.

Beside a restaurant, Riley saw a small cat Pokemon, a Glameow, strut into a side alley. He decided to follow it, and was relieved to find that the fence in the middle of the alley had a hole in it just large enough for Riley to fit through. Pupsky followed behind him, so excited by everything going on in the city. "Woof! Woof!"

Riley turned around to look at Pupsky, who was barking at the Glameow. Riley decided to let Pupsky enjoy its first battle. He commanded it to use Bite, and the Glameow was so untrained that it fainted just after one Bite.

Riley scooped up the cat Pokemon in his hands and carried it with him. There it was, the heart of town!

The heart of Vancine City was circular and had streets leading to it from all sorts of directions. There was Vancine's own fashion store, Big City Fashions, a PokeMart that had its own lot right next to the Pokemon Centre, and several towers surrounding it. To the north was a tall tower that had a fancy-looking hall leading to its front door. There were steps leading up to it, and it had a large, accurate clock right above the arch that lead into the hall where the front doors were. It was Vancine City's City Hall. In the very heart of the city's center was a statue of a Pikachu with a maple leaf around its ear sitting at the foot of a random trainer that was probably dead by now.

He walked into the Pokemon Centre and smiled at Nurse Joy. "Hello, Riley. Nice to see you again. Not here with your dad this time?"

Riley shook his head and put the Glameow gently on Nurse Joy's desk, trying his hardest not to hurt it. He then gave Nurse Joy Pupsky's PokeBall, and sat on a couch that was placed in the waiting area.

"Alright, Riley. These two Pokemon are back to health. You're very sweet to have brought a stray Pokemon to my Pokemon Centre, youngster."

She handed Riley Pupsky's PokeBall and let the Glameow walk around her Pokemon Centre, following it fascinatedly with her eyes.

Riley left back into the heart of Vancine City. Carved into the street was a compass that helped Riley discern where North was. He followed the street in that direction and came across the doors to the University of Chinocko. "Hello, son. How may I help you today?" asked the secretary at the desk in front of the glass front doors into the school.

Riley asked her for directions to the gym, and she pointed him to a door to the right. "Please enjoy your gym challenge for the Beginner's Badge."

He walked excitedly towards the gym, when he encountered a familiar young girl. "Hey, RIley! Guess what badge I just got!" Riley looked at Lilly, smiling, as she held up the Beginner's Badge. "I'm finally a better Trainer than you! Isn't that so great!?"

Riley chuckled, rolling his eyes. He wasn't concerned with being 'better' than Lilly, he just was excited to get his first badge, the Normal-type Gym Leader Nalia's Beginner's Badge, and help protect more of Chinocko's long list of endangered Pokemon.

"Let's have a battle! You'll never beat Nalia if you can't beat me!"

The audience sitting in the gym's bleachers roared with excitement, totally ready to experience another battle between strong beginning trainers! "And so we watch another battle, my students! I'd be surprised if any of you had the courage to do what Lilly and Riley are doing right now!"

"Wow, harsh..." someone in the audience grunted.

"Riley, let's get right to it! This is the gymnasium of the University of Chinocko, but because Nalia is doing a lesson on the Chinocko League, she's temporarily repurposed it into a Pokemon Gym! Cool, right? Elelel, help me out!"

"And Lilly sends out her Elelel, the same Pokemon that she challenged me with! How will she fair against her best friend, Riley? Riley, what Pokemon will you be combating Elelel with?" Nalia's voice echoed through the room as it blared through the speakers of the gym. "And Riley sends out an adorable Pokemon, Concealpillar!"

"What a cute little thing!" Lilly giggled, pumping her fist and raising her knee in excitement. "Elelel, use Water Gun!"

Concealpillar tried to dodge, but failed. It was hit with Elelel's Water Gun and fainted, unable to handle the Water-type attack.

"And Concealpillar faints! How will Riley make a comeback!?"

He sent out Pupsky, and ordered it to use Bite!

"And Pupsky lands a critical hit!" Nalia yelled, rowdy. "And Elelel is down! Can Lilly recover with her strongest Pokemon unable to battle!?"

Lilly sent out her next Pokemon, Hermiflage.

"Hermiflage, the Normal- and Grass-type Pokemon! It blends in with grassy ponds, but Riley's Pupsky won't have such a hard time spotting it on the floor of my gym!"

Riley ordered Pupsky to use Bite, and it did. But unfortunately, Hermiflage dodged its attack! It countered with its Normal-type move, Scratch! It scratched Pupsky's chest with its rigid claw and scurried away, timid.

"Pupsky, how will you repay Hermiflage for hurting you!?"

Riley pointed his PokeDex at Hermiflage to try to get more information on how to beat it. "Number 18, Hermiflage. Grass- and Normal-type. The Camouflaged Pokèmon. Hermiflage are small, almost insectoid Pokèmon that carry chunks of ground on their backs. Their pincers are generally harmless to humans, and really only affect smaller Pokèmon, which in Hermiflage's case, are hard to come by."

Riley had Pupsky use Scratch back, and it hit Hermiflage with a powerful strike! Hermiflage fainted!

"Lilly, better luck next time!" Nalia announced. "Riley is our winner! Send out the next Trainer!"

Lilly waved at Riley as she left, leaving out into the foyer where Riley had entered. "Good luck on the rest of the Trainer battles!"

"Riley, there's no rest for the wicked here!" Nalia announced over the PA.

"Hey, you're Riley, right? Me and my Cottontuft are going to take you down! Macho Man Marcus wants a battle!"

Riley nodded, unable to turn down the next battle. He sent out Burndillo as Macho Man Marcus, who really was as strong-looking as he claimed to be, sent out an adorable little Cottontuft.

"Tuffu!" it chittered, its nose twitching rapidly as it tried to identify its surroundings.

"Dillo-burno!" Burndillo's voice was raspy, but also very high and cute. Riley gave it its order before Cottontuft had a chance to make a move. Bite! It rolled over to Cottontuft and bit it, clamping its jaw down hard.

The Cottontuft angrily countered it with a Hind Kick, a move that first came about in Chinocko. Cottontuft grabbed Burndillo's shell-covered shoulders and started kicking its gut rapidly with its strong hind legs. Burndillo also grabbed it and used Tackle, bashing its head against Cottontuft's.

Nalia was practically screaming with excitement. "There you have it! Cottontuft is now unable to battle!" She took a breath. "That means Riley is this battle's victor! Now, can he beat me?"

A door in the back of the gym slid open, and Riley curiously entered it. It lead into a gym office, and behind the desk in the back was Nalia, sitting in front of a screen and a microphone. "Riley, I will help you kick-start your Pokemon League journey, but you'll have to beat me first, and I won't be going easy on you! Put what you've learned from your adventure so far to the test and show me how you and your Pokemon have grown!"

Riley could feel adrenaline pumping through him, and he practically launched Burndillo's PokeBall into the battlefield.

By winning the previous battle, Burndillo had learned a new move. Ember. It would be useful in taking out the Hermiflage that Nalia sent out, as it was part Grass-type!

"Hermiflage, use Scratch!" Nalia yelled at her Pokemon, everyone in the gym roaring with hype. It waddled up to Burndillo, and scratched it like Lilly's had to Pupsky.

Burndillo countered the attack by using Ember on the Normal- and Grass-type Pokemon!

"No! Grass type is weak to Fire type! I should have seen this coming! But it's okay! I have another Pokemon! Go Stoath!"

She sent out the evolved version of Stoaf, the long-bodied Pokemon that Riley had encountered on Route 3. Riley pointed his PokeDex at it for info. "Number 16, Stoath. Normal- and Ground-type. The Longer-Bodied Pokèmon. Stoath are known for their powerful-looking fur patterns and their weapon-like tails, which they aren't afraid to use. They possess great power and strength, as well as a fantastic sense of smell, and fantastic digging ability. They often hide in the ground and wait for their prey to come. Stoath are popular because people find their movement cute."

"Stoath, use Dig!" Somehow, Stoath managed to obey Nalia's command by digging into the floor of her office. A Pokemon would have to be super strong to do that. And Stoath looked strong!

Riley ordered Burndillo to use Tackle, but Burndillo couldn't reach Stoath to deliver the attack! The long-bodied Pokemon jumped out of the ground and struck Burndillo with the claw-like structures on the end of its tails. There were chunks of rock and ground still in its weapon-like tail's 'palm,' and they too hurt Burndillo.

"Fire type may be strong against Grass type," Nalia said, clearing her voice, "but it's also weak against Ground type!"

Burndillo fainted from the super-effective attack, so Riley sent out Pupsky, who had been weakened by its fight with Lilly's Hermiflage!

"Stoath, use Dig again!"

Stoath dug into the office's rocky ground again. But this time, when it popped up, Pupsky dodged it, and lunged at it, its jaws open wide to strike with Bite! It landed its attack, thrashing the Pokemon in its jaws around aggressively. It landed a critical hit, and Stoath fainted!

"Riley, I knew you were a strong Pokemon Trainer. Here, this is the Beginner's Badge, the Gym Badge that proves you beat my Normal-type Pokemon team. Best of luck on your Pokemon journey, young Riley." She sighed and pinned a badge, which was made of a white square and a black square blending together in the middle of the badge to make grey over a golden backing, onto the strap of Riley's messenger-style bag. "The Beginner's Badge is now yours!" Nalia held up Riley's hand and cheered for him.

He walked out, proudly, of the university campus, and encountered none other than Professor Maple. "Hey, Riley. Hey, that's the Beginner's Badge, isn't it? Great job, Riley! I was actually waiting until you got that badge to give you this, so it looks like I came at the right time." She placed a diamond-shaped machine into Riley's hand. "This is your Pokemon Caller. It will let you call a Pokemon to ride on the back of. I already registered the frequency that Lapras comes swiming when it hears, so you can now use Lapras' Waves to get to Route 4, the water-based road that leads to Suncoast City, where you'll challenge your next gym!"

Riley took the device and looked it over, turning it in his hands. It had a couple different colours on a wheel in the center that was surrounding what looked to be an exclusive PokeBall.


	5. Chapter 5

Maple continued her speech, segueing from the Pokemon Caller to clothes that she had in her hand. "Oh, and Riley," she started. "Your dad gave me this for you. It's your swimming outfit. You'll have to change into it when you're riding a Pokemon on the water. You can buy different pieces for your swimming outfit at most Fashion Shops, but your dad gave me this to give to you with Lapras. Inside that PokeBall in the middle of the Pokemon Caller is a small island where the Pokemon you can ride go until you want to ride them."

Riley nodded and tossed the Pokemon Caller into the air, catching it in one hand. "Great! Then I'm sure Lilly will meet you in Suncoast City."

Riley ran up to Vancine City's harbour, where he ran to the end of the boardwalk. Once he was there, he called Lapras, who let out its elegant cry as it splashed into the waters. Route 4 started right as soon as a Trainer entered the water off of Vancine City's boat harbour. Riley cruised over the waves with Lapras, but on his way there he encountered some trainers who were on small boats.

"Hey, youngster, care for a battle?" said one of the Trainers. He was a Sailor that was sitting on a red, tug-style boat. He had a white raincoat on, a matching raincap, and water-repellent pants. He had a curly brown beard and a huge smile as he sent out his Pokemon, Zipgill.

Riley's PokeDex read out to him, "Number 30, Zipgill. Water-type. The Fish Pokèmon. Zipgill's gills are protected by zippers that have the texture of plastic. When they close their eyes, their eyelids connect in a zig-zag, but because they don't have pull tabs, their eyelids cannot be zipped. They spend most of their time in slightly-populated areas, because they rely heavily on humans for food. "

It was a cute Pokemon that had a wave to its dorsal fin similar to a lot of modern hairstyles. But Riley immediately knew that Burndillo and Concealpillar would be weak to its Water-type moves. He sent out Pupsky, who landed on the boat that the Sailor was on. Pupsky jumped on Zipgill, attacking it with Bite. Zipgill used Bubble Beam, and Pupsky was blown off of it. Riley caught the little puppy Pokemon in his arms. He pet it and commanded it to use Tackle. Pupsky jumped out of Riley's arms and boosted through the air, hitting Zipgill, causing it to faint.

"Darn. I really thought I had the advantage there!" cried out the Sailor, forking over Riley's reward money.

Riley proceeded riding on Lapras' back. He looked around for a Water-type Pokemon that he could use, and he found one! It was actually a bird, and it was sitting in the sand on a tiny island.

"Wing!" the bird Pokemon cawed.

Riley sent Pupsky onto the sandy island, where it used Tackle on the bird! The bird looked disapprovingly at Pupsky, and used Talon Claw! It dislodged its feet from the sand it was sitting in and flapped its way over the puppy so that it could scratch it with its talons.

Pupsky attacked again with Tackle, and Riley threw a PokeBall at the Pokemon. In the meantime. One shake... Two shakes... Three shakes... The Pokemon was... Caught!

"Number 32, Darwing. Muddyfoot Form, one of Darwing's six forms. Flying- and Water-type. This shore-stationed form of Darwing are generally very introverted and tend to avoid their other forms. Muddyfoot Darwing often feed on shore-feeding Coralyte, though they enjoy the sweetness of berries as well. Their feet are webbed to allow them to be able to glide in the water, but they also have claws so they can pull their feet through thick mud and catch buried Pokèmon and vegetation."

Riley pet Darwing's beak, welcoming it to his team. As he continued along Route 4 on Lapras' back, he encountered another trainer.

"My name's Gala. My title's Swimmer! Some people would call swimming manually from Vancine City to Suncoast City a feat, but to me, it's just another step to Pokelympic status!"

Riley sent out his Muddyfoot Darwing, knowing it would be better for the water-based battles on this route.

"My three Coralyte will show you what's up!" Swimmer Gala shouted, sending out a red Pokemon that looked like a stationary turret, but in coral form.

Darwing immediately looked hungry, eyeing the Pokemon that it preyed on in the wild.

"Coralyte, attack Darwing with Hydro Pump!" Swimmer Gala ordered.

The mushroom-shaped Pokemon lowered its head, completely hiding its yellow eyes. When its head popped back up, it squirted out an extremely strong blast of water that sent Darwing almost to unconsciousness.

But Darwing held on, and Riley had it use Talon Claw, which made the low-level Coralyte faint!

Gala sent out another Pokemon of the same species as before, though this one was yellow and had chimney-like stalks that it was happily blowing bubbles from. It used Bubble on Darwing, but the bird didn't take much damage from it at all. Darwing used Peck, which caused the Yellow Coralyte to faint.

Finally, Gala sent out her Blue Coralyte. It was similar to the yellow one, but it had furs on its body and overall had a more sporadic form. Darwing went first, using Peck on it. The Coralyte tried to counter with Bubble, but it missed, only to have Darwing move in again with another Peck.

"Wow..." Swimmer Gala gasped. "I guess I gotta just keep swimming..."

Riley proceeded through the straight water-based route, where he stumbled on the shores of Suncoast City, one of the only places in Chinocko immune to snow year-round. He jumped onto the beach and sent Lapras back into its PokeBall in the Pokemon Caller.

He walked up the sandy shore, changing back into this regular outfit when he got back on land. Suncoast City was made of a bunch of houses on small islands in the lake that was underneath the city. Several bridges connected the islands together, and a beautiful waterfall is what fed the lake.

The first thing from the shore was the Pokemon Centre, which Riley was revealed to find. After stopping in there, Riley checked out the building across the bridge from the Pokemon Centre. "Hello there, stranger. Welcome into my humble little home. I only own this bottom floor. Upstairs is the second half of the apartment, which my brother lives in." Riley waved at the home's owner and headed upstairs to investigate. There was a Magikarp in a fish tank and a man in a pretty obviously-fake Huskowl suit was sitting on a couch in front of the tank, watching the fish bob around.

Riley tapped his shoulder. "Oh, hey. I'm a PokeManiac. Like my Huskowl Pokesuit? I got it from a really credible website."

Riley smiled, a little weirded out but willing to embrace new subcultures. He went onto the balcony of the home, where there was a bridge leading across to a home on an island that was taller than the rest. Halfway across the bridge was a set of three steps which Riley had to climb down to be on the level of the home that the bridge was leading to. He entered the window-covered house, seeing someone sitting on a bed in front of a TV that was mounted on the wall. Crazier, though, is that the wall was actually part of the cliff that the waterfall that fed into Suncoast's lake crashed down from. "Hey, my name's Nathan. Don't you just love the aesthetic of my home? Since 3/4 of my walls are nothing but windows, I get a great view of three directions."

Riley looked out said windows, and agreed that it was, indeed, a great view. But that wasn't what he was concerned about. He went to the east, where there was another bridge, though this one wasn't connected to the house itself, but rather the island it was on. He walked it, and found that a part of it to his left lead up the cliff and to the third layer of the city, but before doing that, he went forward. He was faced with another crossroads, so he turned right, which lead him to a three-storey tower-like building. He went inside, and found that there was a hallways that wrapped all the way around a square room. Making his way to the back side of the hall, he entered through the door of the room in the middle of the hall.

He waved at the person inside, a dark-skinned woman with a nice dress. "Hello, young one. I'm visiting from another region, and I decided to stay in this quaint little motel. It's got all of the tropical flair of a hotel with the peace and quite of a small motel. I'm from the Alola region, which is really hot, so I decided I'd start my vacation here in Suncoast City, where the climate isn't too cold."

Waving goodbye to the woman, he took the elevator in the hallway down a floor. It had the same layout as the floor above it, and Riley curiously entered the room. Inside, this time, was a woman with long, golden hair and a black jacket that tapered at the bottom into somewhat of a skirt.

"It's so relaxing to go somewhere warm after living somewhere so cold, you know? I'm from Sinnoh, which has a similar climate to Chinocko, if not slightly warmer. I came here to Suncoast City to relax from all the battling that me and my team have had demanded of us."

Riley smiled, he knew exactly who this trainer was. If only he could muster up the courage to speak to her...

"My poor Pokemon are just so exhausted, so I let them play in the pool on the first floor. I'm not worried about their safety because they're strong and clever enough to handle danger themselves."

Riley, then, went down to the first floor, which did indeed lead to a pool. It was the size of one of the motel's rooms, and indeed had Pokemon playing in it. Riley waved at the Pokemon, and the Pokemon that could waved back.

"Hi there," started the motel's manager. "I'm sorry, but we're out of empty rooms. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm sure the other guests and their Pokemon would love to see you." The manager, who was wearing a tuxedo suit in the colour scheme of a Prinplup, smiled at Riley, and added. "As thanks for visiting, though, you can have this. The girl who checked in to the top floor gave it to me, but I want you to have it. It doesn't have any use, but it's a nice collector's item." He handed Riley a mysterious souvenir.

Riley smiled, taking it gratefully. With that, he went back up the elevator and exited onto the bridge on the top floor. From there, he followed the bridge to a stairway that lead to the top of the waterfall, which he climbed. There was an island in the middle of two rivers that converged to form the waterfall, and the two sides of the bridge also tapered in until they reached the island, which had a building on it that had a symbol of a PokeBall with a lightning bolt through it on two pillars in front of the door. Riley knew that this was the symbol for a Pokemon Gym, so he walked in, ready to take it on.

Once inside, he was bombarded with the smell of sand and earth. The Pokemon Gym's ceiling was really high, and Riley couldn't even see it if he didn't purposely look upward. In the middle of the gym was a huge sand pit, which had an astonish two-storey sand castle built into it.

"Hello there, friend," started a rather conventionally-attractive man behind a service desk, wearing nothing but shorts with a pattern of a strange foreign Pokemon that had a mouth that looked like a flower on them. "This is the Suncoast City Sand Centre, where kids, both in body and heart, come to fulfill their sand-structure dreams. The sand we use here is kept at the perfect moistness so that it can be built with without any hassle. However, this building is also Sandra's Pokemon Gym."


	6. Chapter 6

The man behind the desk of the Suncoast City Sand Centre smiled, his finger hovering above a button, "Using the Sand Centre's sand costs money, but challenging Sandra's Gym Challenge is free for Pokemon Trainers. What are you interested in?"

Riley explained how he was a Pokemon Trainer and pointed to the badge on his bag's strap.

"The Gym Challenge it is! Go right ahead, then." The man behind the counter unlocked the crossing bar and it slid up, allowing Riley to pass. "But before you do, you'll want this." He handed Riley a bottle of Fresh Water. "Being around warm sand can really dehydrate a person or their Pokemon. You'll want this."

And so, Riley progressed to the right, then turned forward into the sand pit. He took his shoes and socks off so that they wouldn't get sandy, and walked into the pile of moist sand. It was thick- perfect for building with- and his feet barely sank when he walked in it. At the entrance of the giant two-storey sand castle was a drawbridge made of driftwood. The castle was surrounded by a moat, so Riley would have to cross the drawbridge to get to the sand building. At the foot of the castle, right after crossing the drawbridge, was a little girl tracing pictures in the sand with a stick.

The moment the little girl spotted Riley, she stood up, holding her stick in front of her like it was a sword or wand of something of the sort. "I'm making art so that the Sand King and Sand Queen won't get bored while walking around their sand castle! I've hit an art block, though! Show me a cool Pokemon so I can get my inspiration back!"

The girl sent out a strange Ground-type Pokemon, Sandygast. "Sandygast, use Mud Sport!"

The sand-pile Pokemon threw wet mud around, coating everything around it, including Riley's Darwing. Darwing, however, wasn't affected by it, as it simply dripped off its slick feathers. It used Water Gun, which was super effective on Sandygast, but not enough to make it faint.

Sandygast used Astonish, but Darwing didn't receive much damage. Darwing attacked Sandygast with another Water Gun, causing it to faint!

"That was a really cool Pokemon! I'm gonna draw it!' And so, the little girl went back to drawing in the sand, drawing Darwing now.

The next Trainer along the line was waiting in front of a window that was on the second floor of the castle. When Riley tapped his shoulder to pass him, he instead asked for a battle! "My Worum is such a strong Pokemon! I'll show you just how strong it is! It's so strong that it built a secret passage through the castle!"

He sent out the Bug- and Ground-type worm Pokemon, and Riley scanned it curiously with his PokeDex. "Number 17, Worum. Bug- and Ground-type. The Invertebrate Pokèmon. Worum are great diggers, and almost never come out of the ground. Their eyes are hidden inside of their mouths for protection. Because they're very sensitive to light and can only use their eyes to see in very specific situations, they use the ground to sense things moving around them. The tiny hole on the front of their body is their mouth. It's hard to notice, but the balls on Worum's body actually move."

Riley, again, sent out Muddyfoot Darwing to take care of it. Darwing used Water Gun again, and it caused Worum to go down in only one hit!

But Riley's opponent had one more Pokemon, and that was Asterfish. The sand castle constructor sent out the starfish-like Pokemon, and it landed on the ground, its star-like shell facing the ceiling. Its six huge, versatile tentacles slithered out of its underside and pushed it up so that it could fight! It used Hydro Pump, which seriously depleted Darwing's health, but Darwing's Water Gun also did tons of damage to Asterfish. It did so much damage, in fact, that one of Asterfish's tentacles fell off, as well as one of the points of its star. Specifically the one that wasn't covered by its cracked shell.

Riley used his Fresh Water on Darwing, the water trickling down its feathers and restoring its wounds in a similar way to how a Potion would. Darwing was unable to dodge Asterfish's Tackle. More interestingly, though, is that the piece of the opposing Asterfish that was broken off by Darwing's Water Gun also attacked Darwing, doing a sixth of the damage that Asterfish had done with its Tackle.

Darwing used Water Gun again, and both parts of Asterfish fainted. "Maybe my Worum isn't as strong as I accredit it for..."

Riley climbed up the narrow stairwell of the sandcastle, exiting onto the roof, where a trainer that really stood out was waiting, sitting on a throne made of shells and sand. She had hair the colour of the sky at the golden hour, and gorgeously golden eyes. She had a locke of hair that had several beads in it hanging over her right-side temple, and a large, rhombus-shaped hairpiece pulled all of her hair on the right side into a long ponytail that reached all the way down to her thighs. She had a large, smooth rock-like earring in each ear, had a thick-rimmed watch around her right wrist, and was wearing a green crop top, blue-jean short-shorts, and colour high-top boots that looked comfortable even to Riley.

"Hello there! I'm Sandra, the Gym Leader of Suncoast City. I'm so proud of the Trainers that train in my gym! They all pitched together with their Pokemon to build this astonishing sand castle! I'm the youngest of the Gym Leaders in Chinocko, and I inherited the Hourglass Badge from my parents- my dad working to run Suncoast City's popular motel, and my mother being the former Gym Leader- but that's no reason to underestimate me!"

She sent out a Pokemon that looked really similar to Darwing. It had a bored, tired expression on its face, and it had a rather fat body. Its wings and back had red feathers, and its belly had white feathers, sort of resembling a robe since its wings dragged along the ground like long robe sleeves. Overall, it had a regal air to it.

Riley scanned the Pokemon with the PokeDex, and the PokeDex explained, "Number 32, Darwing. Subterrain Form, one of Darwing's six forms. Ground- and Rock-type. Subterrain Darwing use their strong, sharp jaws to eat rocks and even cacti. They often dig through the ground, before popping up to deliver their attacks. This form of Darwing often feed on Pokèmon such as Worum and Maractus as a result of their habitat, but they usually eat non-conscious cacti. Their wings have claws that they can use both for combat and (more commonly) digging."

Riley's comparison of this Pokemon to his Darwing was more accurate than he'd expected. So, he sent out Muddyfoot Darwing to take care of the other Pokemon of its species.

Darwing used Water Gun, and its Subterrain opponent fainted after just one hit, as its Ground and Rock typing was double weak to Water. But Sandra had another Pokemon to send into battle! Asterfish!

"Aster!" it screeched. "Asterfi!" It pulled itself up with its tentacles, and spun its shell around to show its status. It used Hydro Pump, and Darwing unfortunately fainted! Riley didn't have a plan to deal with a Ground- and Water-type Pokemon except for with Muddyfoot Darwing, but now he had to resort to an alternative!

"Pup!' barked Pupsky, who playfully hopped around in the sand of the roof of the sand castle. It ran up to Asterfish and used Bite! A critical hit! A piece of Asterfish's body broke off again. Asterfish used Water Gun on Pupsky, and its broken-off part also used Water Gun, but only with a sixth of its parent's power.

Pupsky used Bite again on Asterfish's bigger half, and it fainted!

"That was my last Pokemon...!" Sandra gasped. "Alright, here you go, as the rules of the Pokemon League say." The Gym Leader handed a badge to Riley. It was really mesmerizing, as it was filled with sand, and when he turned it upside down the sand trickled down the glass pendant on the front of the badge. "This Hourglass Badge is proof of your victory over me. Now that you have two Gym Badges, you should be able to send Pokemon in your PC to the Virtual Paradise, which is a usueful tool for training Pokemon as well as a large amount of other things. Check it out when you get a chance to check your PC."

She sighed. "I'm only twelve , but I try to stay strong so that I can prove to the world that even young people like us can be powerful and fulfill our ambitions! Oh, and by the way, now that you have my Hourglass badge, I should also give you..."

Crash!

Sandra paused when she heard a loud explosion that rumbled the gym. Thankfully, the sand castle didn't collapse, but it was terrifying to hear.

"What was that!? As Gym Leader of Suncoast City, I will take action to protect my city's people and Pokemon!" She slid down the slide that had been built into the sand castle. "I'm sorry, Riley, but my other gift for you as a reward for beating my Gym Challenge will have to wait!" She ran out the door of her gym, her ponytailed hair flowing behind her from running so fast.


	7. Chapter 7

Riley followed Sandra to the southwestern end of Suncoast City, where there was a huge rock previously, but now was nothing but rubble. The brothers living in the apartment on the same island as the destroyed rock were completely shaken, sitting on the bench outside their house, both terrified.

Sandra and Lilly were both standing in the ghost of the rock. "Riley!" yelled both of them.

Sandra started, "Lilly here beat my gym just before you came in, and it appears that she stayed in Suncoast City just long enough to experience the explosion. She says she saw- Lilly, why don't you explain in your own words?"

"Riley, it was terrifying. There were two men wearing dark-grey suits that had lime-green trim, and a young woman with dark-blue hair down to her knees. They placed a bomb at the base of the rock, and it just shattered. I think I was the only eyewitness at the time. I was so scared that I hid behind that tree there."

"Lilly and I," Sandra nodded, determined, "are going to investigate. The route that was being blocked off by the huge rock that was here is Route 5, another water-based route. The reason it was blocked off is because there's a Guardian Temple in the dark cave at the end of the route. The Legendary Guardian itself terraformed that rock there to keep people out of its residence, but someone's desperate enough to go in for it! We'll have to go in!"

Sandra, Lilly, and Riley all hopped on their Ride Pokemon at the same time. Lilly and Riley both hopped on Lapras, and Sandra hopped on the back of a Sharpedo. She sped ahead of the two, and Lilly tagged up with Riley. "Riley, I've got plenty of items. If your Pokemon need a healing, I'll restore them immediately after any battles we get into on Route 5."

Lilly's Lapras followed right behind Riley's Lapras, and Riley encountered a wild Pokemon! Not one, but two! Lilly pitched in by sending out Elelel, who was right at home in the watery atmosphere of Route 5. Riley sent out Darwing, who glided above the waters.

The wild Pokemon that had hopped out of the water was a Pokemon that looked identical to a bell, but Riley knew better. He pointed his PokeDex at it. "Bellyp. Water-type. The Stationary Pokèmon. Bellyp cannot easily move, so they attach to surfaces like rocks. Their tentacles are disguised as a handle in order to fool humans into thinking it's a bell. Many people have lost fingers due to being bitten by Bellyp in disguise. They catch their prey by lashing out their tentacles and injecting a paralyzing toxin into their victim's bloodstream. If endangered, they can break off from their surface and hop along the seafloor."

The other Pokemon that splashed out of the water was Zipgill, the Pokemon that the Sailor from Route 4 had used! Riley had scanned it on Route 4, so he knew what it was all about. He ordered Darwing to use Talon Claw on it, and Darwing obeyed! The Zipgill fainted from the strong attack.

Lilly's Elelel used Tackle on the opposing Bellyp. The Pokemon that had been Tackled attacked Darwing by using Hydro Pump! Darwing was down for the count!

Elelel, enraged that the opposing Pokemon had hurt its partner, lashed out on Bellyp and used a Hydro Pump of its own. Bellyp, too, now, had fainted!

"As promised, give Darwing here so I can heal it."

Lilly probed Darwing to swallow the Revive that she'd put in its mouth. It flapped back to life as it swallowed the Revive, and now that it was feeling better, Lilly sprayed it with enough Potions to bring it back to full health.

Riley and Lilly both followed the water-based route to the entrance of a cove, where Sandra was waiting for them. "Lilly, you stay here. Riley and I will come back to you for healing, so we don't want you to get hurt. Riley, will you pair up with me to take care of whoever is trying to obstruct the Legendary Guardian?"

Riley nodded, pumping his fist with frustration.

Sandra walked head, Riley following, where they encountered a temple similar to the one Riley mysteriously was lead into in the forest patch between Routes 1 and 2. What made this one different was that the pedestal here had two hands on it that appeared to be wearing gauntlets, and the totem was carved into the wall of the cove, and looked more like a Pokemon wearing human armour that had a broadsword attached to the back of its head.

The two men that Lilly had described were sitting at the base of the temple's steps. They were wearing the same thing as the Team Delta Grunt that Riley encountered in Tempura Forest.

"You again!?"

Oh, one of them was the Team Delta Grunt he'd encountered in Tempura Forest.

"Me and my twin brother here are going to keep you from Azura at all costs!" demanded the opposite Grunt.

"Riley, prepare for battle!" was Sandra's very good suggestion.

And so, Riley did, sending out Burndillo for the first time in a while.

Sandra sent out a Pokemon that she hadn't used in her gym battle, a Rotom. It appeared to be possessing a vacuum cleaner, and attacked using the dust and dirt that it sucked up.

The Team Delta Grunt from before, who once seemed like nothing but a delinquent but now seemed like a junior terrorist, sent out the Pokemon he had in Tempura Forest, only evolved. "Go Vaporeon!"

That Grunt's brother sent out a Pokemon that looked really similar to Vaporeon. "Leafeon, stay strong!"

Riley commanded Burndillo to use Ember on Leafeon, and Sandra commanded her Suction Rotom to use Thunderbolt on Vaporeon.

The Leafeon attacked Burndillo with a Quick Attack, but Burndillo attacked immediately after it, using Ember on it, causing it to faint.

Rotom used Thunderbolt on Vaporeon, like instructed, and the Vaporeon fainted!

"At least you didn't beat me alone this time..." sighed the Grunt from Tempura Forest.

"I'm gonna be in so much trouble for this!" yelped his brother.

"Don't worry about it, Grunts. I got what I came here for." The young woman with the abyssal-blue hair turned around from the pedestal. Her extremely long bangs covered her right eye, and they had a streak of lighter blue in them. The rest of her hair, though, was straight like a pole and reached all the way down to her knee crooks.

She wore a tight-fitting jacket that had shoulder puffs and tapered into a skirt mid-thigh. On it was the same green trim as the Grunts' uniforms, and the same triangular D-shape on her chest.

"The quarter of the Wolf Medallion that the boss sent us here for is now within my grasp. Time to bring it back to the boss."

She walked right through Sandra and Riley, both trying to block her but unable to. The Grunts from Team Delta followed behind her, and soon the cave was emptied.

"Lilly!" Sandra ran up to her. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Lilly nodded. "You beat the bad guys, I see."

"We beat two of them," Sandra sighed, depressed. She looked at Riley. "Their leader got away with the Wolf Medallion Piece. Someone that evil as to disturb the Legendary Guardian to get its Wolf Medallion Piece can't be trusted with such an important relic!"

She took a breath, calming herself down. "Lilly, thanks for sticking around, despite having the Flight Pass that I gave you. We wouldn't have been able to do this without you."

"You're... welcome..." Lilly smiled melancholily. "I feel so bad. I could have battled Azura, but I thought she was leaving because you'd beaten her! This is all my fault."

"No, Lilly," Sandra explained, putting her hand on Lilly's shoulder. "You did nothing wrong. Now let's go, I have something to give to Riley!"

Riley smiled, excited to receive another gift from the Gym Leader.


	8. Chapter 8

Riley, exhausted from battling nonstop, followed Sandra back to her gym, where she asked the man behind the desk who had let Riley enter for a small favour. He handed her something, which she then handed to her victor.

"Riley, this is a Chinockan Flight Pass. With it, Pokemon Trainers can make flights from Vancine City to Chinocko's other airports. Chinocko has two airports, Vancine City and Eclisse City." Sandra ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it out. "It's yours now. You and Lilly should fly out to Eclisse City together, where you'll find Derrek's Gym." She smiled and waved them off.

"So, Riley, want to go to Eclisse City?" asked Lilly. "Let's go together. I'll go ahead. Meet me at the airport." With that, she hopped on the back of her Lapras and sailed off down Route 4 to Vancine City.

Riley followed behind, enjoying the salty air as it tickled his nostrils. Darwing glided alongside Lapras, skimming the water with its large chest. But he encountered a Pokemon! It was an intriguing Pokemon that resembled a fish with a mask of thick scales over its facial region. Riley knew he wanted on on his team! He aimed his PokeDex at it, and it told him, "Maskalmon. Water-type. The Salmon Pokemon. This Pokemon has scales on its face to protect it from being injured if the rapid waters that it lives in thrash it into rocks or other things that could hurt it. Their population has decreased drastically in the past handful of decades because of human overconsumption."

He had Darwing use Talon Claw on it, bringing it to low health, and then threw one of the PokeBalls that Maple gave to him at it!

But...

The PokeBall just bounced off of it! It didn't catch the Pokemon, but the Pokemon escaped. It just bounced off without even trying to catch the Maskalmon. He tried again, but again, the PokeBall just bounced off of the Pokemon. Riley's PokeDex spoke, "It is illegal to catch a Maskalmon if you do not have a Maskalmon Tags."

Riley sighed, depressed. He had Darwing use Peck, and Maskalmon fainted. He continued riding on Lapras' back until he made it to the harbour at Vancine City.

He hopped off Lapras and onto the boardwalk of Vancine City's harbour. He saw a familiar trench coat-wearing figure walk into the main part of town, and decided to follow him. He followed him to the entrance of the famous Vancine Fishery, which he followed the researcher inside of.

He climbed up a bunch of steal stairs that lead him up to a steel grating that overlooked a bunch of pools of water that had a variety of Pokemon in them, but namely Maskalmon, an interesting but endangered Pokemon with a ring-shaped hole in its tail.

"Oh, hello there!" Eric was standing over a man-made river that was carved out of cement. It was made to simulate the white-water habitat of the Maskalmon swimming around in it. He turned around to face Riley. "I don't think I got your name when we met in Tempura Woods. Would you mind giving it to me?"

The trainer gave Eric his name, which, of course, was Riley.

"Riley, huh? That's a nice name. I wonder if it has a bigger meaning." Eric looked down to his tablet before looking back up at Riley. "I was just here studying Maskalmon. It thrived hundreds of years ago, feeding Chinocko's indigenous people for generations. But when Chinocko was invaded by greedy settlers, their populations decreased greatly from poaching," the Pokemon Conservationist sighed. "I want to research their habitats and whatnot so I can create a place where they can thrive, safe from overconsumption by humans."

Riley was beginning to like Eric. He was such an honourable man, and used his technology to help Pokemon, similar to Professor Maple's work, who Riley was working under.

"Since you're here," Eric began. "Do you have a Tag Package for Maskalmon?"

Riley shook his head.

"Well well." Eric took a box that contained a bunch of blue and white tags that each had a computer chip in them out of his trench coat pocket. "I've got way more Maskalmon tags than I know what to do with. Why don't you have some?" He handed the package to Riley, who opened it and looked inside.

"It's illegal, in Chinocko, to catch or breed a Maskalmon if you don't have a tag for it. With these, you'll be able to catch and breed Maskalmon. I think that should be enough tags to last you a while. Ten should be more than enough," Eric smiled, "but if you need more you can buy them from the staff member in that room there." Eric pointed to a room that had a big screen inside it, as well as a window. Also inside the room was an old man in a uniform who was carefully examining the screen.

"The chip in the Maskalmon Tags is connected to the database here in Vancine Fishery, and helps the workers here to keep track of the Maskalmon population. Nifty, isn't it?" Eric smiled. "Well, I think I'm done my research here. Have a good day!"

He'd never been in here. It was so huge and loud. Everyone was talking to each other, but he was happy to see people being social.

He walked up to the receptionist at the desk, who wore a blue blouse and a black skirt. Her hair was similar in colour to Lilly's, and she wore it in a bun. "How may I help you today? Looking for a flight?"

Riley nodded and showed her his Flight Pass.

"Where will you be flying today?" Riley told her he'd fly to Eclisse City, and she scanned his flight pass. "Right this way, please," smiled the receptionist, pointing to a sliding glass door.

Riley proceeded into the room, where he met Lilly. "Riley! You made it just in time. The next flight is just coming in now!" Riley smiled at Lilly, relieved at this good timing. He watched the airplane land on the runway and followed the lineup of other trainers through the terminal and into the vehicle.

"I'm so excited!" squeaked Lilly. "I've never been on a plane before."She pressed her face up to the window and grinned, watching as the plane rose from the ground slowly, hearing its engines pushing the fire out of its jets before it took off at a speed she couldn't even have imagined before witnessing it.

She gasped, as did Riley. It was breathtaking. They could see the whole region below them. They got a quick glimpse of the trails they'd walked, Routes 1, 2, and 3, the towns they'd visited, Torutara Town and Sherrow City, as well as their hometown of New Moon Town.

The plane headed east, and they touched down on a runway constructed into red and brown rock. More oddly, though, was the fact that the city they touched down in was in night, despite being daytime everywhere else in Chinocko.

"This is Eclisse City, Riley!" Lilly began. "It's got a really weird geographical location where it doesn't get a lot of sun. The main attraction of Eclisse City is that there's a giant theme park in the middle of town to celebrate how many prehistoric Pokemon once lived in this area! Cool, right?"

Riley nodded. This was indeed a very cool city. He had to check out the rides! Lilly grabbed Riley's hand and ran right out of the airport and straight into the theme park. "What ride should we go on first, Riley? I wanna check out the Omanyte Twister!"

Riley followed her to the fossilized Pokemon-themed thrill ride. It was a spinning ride that had riders sit inside the tentacles of a giant robotic Omanyte as it spun around. A circular Pokemon that had skin that looked like the texture of a far-off planet and had a golden ring around its body, as well as sparkly clouds that were the colour of the sky in the evening, hovered in the air, dashing out from the opposite side of the ride. "Saturnius, get back here right now! You're just as bad at sitting still as my old partner!"

The Saturnius, as the Pokemon was named, dashed past Lilly, and a girl with blonde hair and a white outfit came running in the Pokemon's path. "Saturni-...!" She paused when she noticed what Saturnius had run into.

The poor Pokemon had run into a tall, cobalt-haired girl who had a cropped dark-grey jacket that showed her stomach, black leggings with lime-green trim, who wore high-fall boots, and had a triangular D-shaped pendant over her heart. One of her eyes was brown, and the other was covered by a cyan holo-screen that made it look navy blue.

"Aren't you a cute little Pokemon?" she said, picking up Saturnius in one hand.

"Put my Saturnius down!" demanded the white-clad stranger.

"And if I don't?" the Team Delta member probed. "What'll you do then?"

"I'll... I'll..." The girl had nothing she could do. It appeared that Saturnius was her only Pokemon.

"Don't worry, miss! We'll help you!" Lilly nodded, putting out her hand. Riley grabbed it, and they turned to the female Team Delta Grunt.

"Haha, you might be able to beat me," the Grunt smiled twistedly, "but can you beat all of the Grunts that came here with me?"

Behind other rides, four other Grunts appeared, each of them juggling a PokeBall in one hand, ready to battle! "Uh-oh! Riley, I don't know if we can take all of them!" Lilly choked.

"Have no fear, for I'm here!" A dark figure standing atop the roof of a haunted house-themed attraction jumped down, landing between Lilly and Riley, and the Team Delta Grunts.

"Riley," Lilly asked, whispering quietly into her best friend's ear. "Who's this weirdo?" Riley could only shrug.

The 'weirdo' sent out his Pokemon. It was a big, tall, furry Pokemon that had a fur pattern that resembled the man's costume. Its eyes were pure white behind a domino mask-shaped fur patch, and it was muscular and nimble-looking.

Three of the four Team Delta Grunts that had appeared sent out Pokemon to combat it. One sent out a Ratatta, one sent out a Machop, and the other sent out a Pupsky.

The one that didn't send out a Pokemon walked seductively over to the girl that looked identical to her, the one that was holding Saturnius. "Concealpillar, you better not let me down."

"Glad to have you working with me, girl!" the Grunt who was holding Saturnius smiled. "Go Darkoon! Prepare for battle!"

Riley sent his Concealpillar onto the battlefield, and Lilly sent out her Hermiflage. Hermiflage used Protect! Riley ordered Concealpillar to use Bug Bite on Darkoon. It was a super effective attack, and Darkoon fainted!

Knowing its attack wouldn't damage Hermiflage, the opponent's Concealpillar used Tackle on RIley's. Then, Hermiflage used Scratch on the Team Delta Grunt's Concealpillar, and it took quite a bit of damage from a critical hit!

RIley's Concealpillar obeyed its trainer's silent command and used Tackle on the weakened Concealpillar on the rivaling team. It fainted!

"Augh! Concealpillar," the Grunt grunted. "I told you not to let me down! Go Maskalmon!"

She sent out the Pokemon that Riley had tried but failed to catch on Route 4. Hermiflage used Grass Knot on it, and it was super effective on the Maskalmon! Concealpillar attacked with Tackle, and the Maskalmon went down!

"Wow," Lilly sighed, relieved. "What a battle!"

The two female Team Delta Grunts fell onto their behinds in shock. The other three Grunts in the male-oriented uniforms also tripped over, having been absolutely obliterated by the mysterious man's Pokemon. "Guys," yelped the Grunt who'd sent out her Darkoon. She dropped the female stranger's Saturnius. "Let's split!" With that, they ran away leaving the innocents with a moment of peace.

"Oh, Saturnius, you fool!" yelped the girl in the white dress. "Thank you. I wish I could repay you. I'm visiting from Alola."


	9. Chapter 9

"Why don't you start by telling us your name, miss?" asked the man behind the black mask.

"My name's Lillie." she smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Lillie!" Lilly giggled, shaking the girl's hand. "Looks like we've got the same name."

"How cool!" Lillie responded. "What are you all doing here?"

"As the hero," said the masked man, "Night Shadow, I must stay here and protect the people of Eclisse City."

"Wow, that sounds like it takes a lot of courage!" Lillie smiled.

"Riley and I are here looking for our third badge each."

Night Shadow looked interested. "Your third badge, huh? Well, I'm..." He paused, "...sure you'll get them when you can demonstrate the power needed to deserve them."

"I just know I have the power for the Moon Badge!" Lilly remarked. "Do you know where the Pokemon Gym is?"

"I do," answered Night Shadow. "But it's closed right now. The Gym leader is out... running an errand."

"It's fine! Hey, Riley, let's check out Eclisse's famous Contest Palace while we wait! Oh, my mom was a Master Coordinator in her day, and I've always looked up to her for it!" Lilly ran off in the direction of the Contest Palace. Lillie with an -ie stayed, however.

She held a hand out in front of Riley. "I'll watch you, if you like, Riley." Riley shook her hand. He'd like that.

"Stay out of trouble if you can," Night Shadow nodded, his hands in fists at his waist. "May we meet again!" He jumped back over the rooftops until he was out of sight.

Lillie watched him leave with an intrigued look in her eyes. "I'll meet you at the Contest Palace, with Lilly." She put her arm around the Saturnius that had run away. "And you, little guy... Don't run away like that again! I had enough of that in Alola!"

Riley walked towards the Contest Palace, an unmistakable building built right in front of the cliff that was next to the colossal Eclisse City. It was breathtaking to look at. Or maybe what took Riley's breath was the man who smashed into him.

"Ouch," the man shrieked, dropping his briefcase! "I'm so sorry, R- who are you!?"

Riley explained that his name was Riley and that he was a Pokemon Trainer.

"Oh, Riley, huh? That name sounds familiar. I'm Derreck, the Gym Leader of Eclisse City. I heard from someone that you were going to challenge my Pokemon Gym, but I was actually on my way to the Contest Palace to watch a Pokemon Contest. I'm sorry, but it will have to wait."

Riley went ahead, entering the Pokemon Contest Palace to see Lilly standing in the corner with her similarly-named blonde friend. He walked over. She waved, "Oh! It's Riley!"

Riley smiled. "I hope you guys have a nice Pokemon Contest," said Lillie shyly. She left into the audience area, waving goodbye, Saturnius by her side and under her reticle. The audience was packing up quite nicely today. Who was performing that would be so popular?

"Hello, you two," said an unfamiliar voice. "You look like you're fresh for the stage. What do you say?"

"F-fresh f-for the-" Lilly stuttered.

"My name's Elric! I'm a pretty popular Pokemon Contest Coordinator," he smiled, "in Chinocko, if you didn't already know."

Lilly turned to Riley and whispered in his ear. "Is he talking to us...?" She blinked a couple times. "IS ELRIC TALKING TO US!?" Riley bounced back, dazed by Lilly's practical scream into his ear.

"Heh," was the dressed-up young man's reply. "Yeah, I'm talking to you. I would hate to let such radiant potential go to waste. Come with me into my dressing room, I think I have something perfect for both of you."

"Riley," Lilly chittered, hardly able to contain her excitement. "Chinocko's very own Elric is letting us into his own dressing room! This is amazing!"

Elric was incredibly handsome. He had a sculpted chin, a fine nose, and deep green eyes. His hair was golden blonde, short and styled in a gentlemanly fashion. On his cheeks were two impressive, handsome sideburns that sort of looked like the tail of a Pikachu. On the tip of one was a dab of red, and on the tip of the other a dab of blue.

He wore a pitch-black vest over a silvery-white dress shirt, which he coupled with some lightly-coloured skinny jeans for contrast. His own personal dressing room had a modern, contemporary vibe to it, furnished with potted plants and modern art spectacles tilted to 45-degree angles for aesthetic.

"Here," he said, holding up a tuxedo that was exactly Riley's size. "This is the tux I wore when I was still a beginning Coordinator, like you. I've kept it until now, but you have such an energy of art to you that I want you to have it."

He turned to Lilly, "I think I have just the thing for you, as well." He went into his closet and pulled out a white cocktail-style dress. "My sister is a seamstress. This is one of her creations."

Riley and Lilly both excitedly took their new outfits from Elric. "Oh," he added. "And one more thing you'll need." He handed the two of them each a pair of white, strapped gloves.

"Gloves?" asked Lilly.

"Not just any gloves," Elric affirmed. "These are equipped with the latest in holograph technology, produced straight out of Malasarri City."

"Holograph gloves? What...?"

"Let me show you." Suddenly, a soft green light flashed at the tip of Elric's index and ring finger. He drew in the air with it, and the light traced the picture he was drawing. The green light stayed in the air almost as if it were a solid object, until Elric raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Then, the light art shattered into a flurry of diamonds and disappeared.

Riley and Lilly were both shaken. Elric explained, "Here's why you'll need these:" He blinked, then explained, "these gloves are powered by the excitement of an audience. And with enough excitement, you can have your Pokemon use a Perfect Talent, which is kind of like the Contest equivalent of the foreign technique of Z-Moves."

To demonstrate, he drew a lightning bolt in the air with his glove, and when he snapped, it exploded into a jolt of electricity. "You'll get the hang of it. I'll meet you on stage, deal?"

"Deal!" Lilly yelped, her knees turned inward and one of her legs up in excitement. Elric left to register himself and the kids for the upcoming Pokemon Contest. Lilly changed into her brand-new cocktail dress, slid her sleeved gloves on, got into the beautiful shoes that Elric gave her, and struck a cute pose. "What do you think, Riley?"

Riley gave her a thumbs up. She really did look beautiful and cute. "Oh." She took her long hair out of its ponytail and let it roll down her back in natural curls. Riley blushed. It was too early for him to be judging girls this way. He distracted himself by changing into his own outfit.

First, he slipped his feet into the dress shoes that Elric gave to him. Then, he changed his shirt and put Elric's tuxedo on overtop of it. He slid on his holograph gloves, tightened his belt, did up his tie, and folded up his bandanna which he put into the chest pocket of the suit.

Lilly clapped. "You look great, Riley!" She sighed, her voice high with hype. "I've always, always wanted to participate in a Pokemon Contest. And now it's finally happening! And what's more, I get to do it with you. I'm so thankful to be taking this journey with you!" Riley smiled. He was happy to be accompanied by Lilly on this adventure too.

"Our first Coordinator of the night is the one, the only, Elric!"

The crowd roared and cheered and screamed when they saw the hint of Elric walking on stage. His wide shoulders were straight and his body had a backwards-curve to it because of how far he was pushing out his chest. He looked so confident and ready.

"Our second Coordinator is new to the Contest Palace! Please welcome Lilly with a warm hand!"

Lilly walked out, her elbows pressed close to her body and her stance pushed back to show a confidence that even Riley hadn't seen up until now. She carefully and swiftly took each step one by one until she was in her spot on the stage. She was beautiful.

It was Riley's turn. He gave a quick sigh before he was urged out by the assistant director. He opened up his posture and walked like he had everything in the world to show the audience. He put his feet directly in front of each previous step, and tried his hardest not to slouch, though he was sure he slipped up and slouched at least for a second.

"Welcome another new Coordinator, Riley!"

He felt so boosted when he heard the audience cheer for him, despite not knowing who he was. He scouted out Lillie in the audience, who was waving to him and Lilly. Saturnius was sitting beside her, and also looked beyond excited.

"And for our final contestant, we have the beautiful pop star herself, Polleniah!"

A young woman, about Elric's age, wearing a stylish purple short-dress with and boots that could function as their own pant legs, as well as a ladybug-patterned drape, butterfly-inspired fake wings, and a fancy hibiscus flower pulling her semi-long hair into a ponytail, walked on stage. The audience screamed and roared as loud as the roaring music that filled the colossal hall.

They each sent out their beloved Pokemon. Elric sent out a Pokemon that Riley hadn't ever seen before, a Pokemon that looked like a bird with a large body and a semi-long neck. It was black and brown in colouration, but on its wings there were a few feathers that glowed yellow and cyan. Around its neck was a collar that had a tie running through it. It looked adorable, but the way it composed itself was cool and sleek.

Lilly sent out Elelel, who happily swam around in the air with its cute blue bowtie. Polleniah, who Lilly seemed really intimidated by, sent out a strong-looking Pokemon that resembled Riley's Concealpillar, only in the form of a cocoon.

Riley sent out Burndillo, who rolled excitedly onto the stage. It stood up on its hind legs and raised its chin, adjusting its red and orange bowtie.


	10. Chapter 10

"Goslaire," Elric called. Goslaire. That was the name of the dark-coloured bird Pokemon. "Use Spark."

Goslaire, the goose-like Pokemon, flew up into the air and created a spark, which it flew in circles around before flying directly into, which created a surge of electricity that lit up the stage.

It was Lilly's turn! She looked so excited, and not nervous at all. "Elelel, use Water Gun!"

Elelel swam up into the air and closed its eyes, making a melodic coo as it spat a Water Gun out of its mouth in an arch like the spout of a fountain.

It was Riley's turn. He composed himself and thought of what to do to get the audience as excited as possible. He instructed Burndillo to use Ember.

Riley's sweet Pokemon friend rolled around on the stage inside its shell, and used the fire from its Ember attack to make it look like there was a trail of fire ripping behind it.

"Maskoon," Polleniah, the one unknown to Riley, said. "Use Bug Buzz, and use it dazzlingly!"

The Pokemon was an orb shape, and was already dressed up because its thick shell had the pattern of a tuxedo already on it. Riley was curious, so he pointed his PokeDex at it. "Number 28, Maskoon. Bug-type. The Cocooning Pokèmon. Maskoon grow so shy that they create shells to hide inside. In fact, they hide behind so many shells that it can take several minutes to remove all of the layers. Inside their shells, the warmth allows them to grow at a much more rapid pace than outside of their shells. So, slowly, they outgrow layers of their shells until they're ready to evolve."

How cool! Riley thought.

The round Pokemon hopped along the ground, before jumping up into the well-lit air and making a buzzing sound loud enough that it created shock waves. By manipulating its mouth, which Riley noticed was attached to some black creature inside the shell rather than actually being part of the shell, the Maskoon manipulated the sound waves into a picture. It didn't look like anything in particular, but it was certainly impressive.

The audience was clearly excited by the moves of everyone's Pokemon. The roaring and cheering exhilarated Riley, but it also exhilarated his opposing Coordinators!

"It's time for another round! Let's see the cool performances of our Coordinators this round!"

Elric took his time deciding what he wanted his Goslaire to do. He ordered it to use Discharge. Goslaire flew up and shot a thunderbolt from its lit-up feathers. It used the thunderbolt's energy to charge itself up, and then released the energy out of its body in eight thunderbolts blasting in eight vertical directions!

Lilly, Riley, and Polleniah would really have to step it up.

"Elelel, use Aqua Jet!" Elelel charged up all of the energy it had inside itself and blasted through the air. Water particles came rushing to it, and they turned themselves into the shape of a Sharpedo as Elelel, inside the water jet, flew in the air around the hall. Elelel purposely ran the Aqua Jet into the wall, and the Sharpedo made of water that was surrounding its small body exploded into a bunch of small fish. The water vapourized and sparkles dripped down, soaking the pumped audience. Lillie splayed her chest over Saturnius' body so it wouldn't get soaked, RIley noticed.

Riley REALLY had to deliver now. Those were both amazing performances. How could he match them?

Riley ordered Burndillo to use a move it had just picked up in his tag-team battle with Lilly against the Team Delta Grunts at Eclisse City's theme park. Fire Fang.

Burndillo straightened its back as much as its round shell would allow it. It opened its jaws wide and allowed the air in its mouth to heat up. It coated its fangs with flame and then blew the flame into the air. Manipulating the flames, it created a huge Charizard head made out of fire. It slammed its jaws shut, and so did the plasmatic fire dragon. The flame Charizard disappeared in the air. The residual sparks floated, dancing, towards the ground, but were put out before they could get there.

Polleniah gasped, her face contorted in shock. She knew she couldn't compete with the amazing performances before her. But she would have to try. She nodded, moving a locke of hair out of her eye.

She ordered Maskoon to use String Shot. Using its silky strings, it created a pair of wings that it used its silk ropes to control. It actually managed to manipulate the silk-string wings into flying, and the audience cheered with respect.

"This is the third and final round! After this, our Contest Palace with have a new King or Queen!"

"Goslaire, we can do this," Elric whispered to his Pokemon in a low tone. He yelled at the top of his lungs for the audience to hear his enthusiasm, "Use Thunderbolt!"

Goslaire summoned all of the power it had inside and launched a thunderbolt as thick as a tree into the air above the audience. They shrieked, terrified, but it didn't harm a single person. Instead, it ricocheted off the wall at the back of the hall and came back to Goslaire in a wave. Goslaire manipulated the electricity and turned it into a pair of electric wings that it flapped using its real wings. The electricity dissipated, leaving the entire hall feeling electrified and tingly.

Lilly grunted. She looked incredibly intimidated. The audience was so dazed by the previous performance. How could she live up to it? Elelel was exhausted from its previous ultra-powered Aqua Jet, too. She would just have to hope that the judges would be impressed enough by that impressive move to let her win. She had to use an easier, less dazzling move, for Elelel's health's sake.

But, on the contrary, Elelel looked ready and raring for another glorious attack. "Okay, Elelel! Use Bite, and add a little bit of Water-type flair into it!"

It did! It charged up the power of its jaw similar to how Burndillo had the turn before, and summoned a water beast. It summoned a huge Lapras that chomped down when Elelel did, its power causing it to accidentally make itself pop!

"Good move, Elelel!" Lilly cheered!

Riley looked at Burndillo, and Burndillo looked proudly back at its Trainer. They both nodded.

A deep red-orange light sparked to life at Riley's fingertips. He sketched the shape of a wild flame in the air and snapped his fingers. The airborne drawing exploded into a flurry of diamonds again, but this time the diamonds of light didn't just disappear. This time, they flew into Burndillo's body.

It knew what it had to do with all of the energy that had been picked up by the audience. It was time for a Perfect Talent!

Apocalypse Flame!

It rolled to the edge of the stage and used its momentum to jump into the air. The entire hall turned into an inferno. Burndillo used the audience's performance-hype to gather the power to transform the flames into a gargantuan beast the size of the Battle Tree! The fire dragon danced around in the sky for several minutes, wowing the audience, before swallowing Burndillo whole.

It flew through the air in an upward spiral, before bursting into a firey platform almost a hundred feet above the ground that Burndillo stood victoriously atop.

Briefly, the mirage disappeared and the hall was back to normal, but the audience was still absolutely awed.

Polleniah was awed too. Maskoon couldn't match that. "Alright, but we should still try our best anyway! Maskoon, use Iron Defence!"

Maskoon put up an iron wall as a shield, and jumped on top of it, using its height as a further stage to wow the audience as it pulled its arms through the split in its shell and swung the iron column around, creating a tornado as it helicoptered down to the ground.

"And that's the Pokemon Contest! Let's wait and see what the judges say!"

"Wow...!" Elric gasped, panting, Goslaire by his side. "That, for a pair of new recruits, was amazing!"

Polleniah stepped in. "Perhaps I was off my game today, but I'm quite confident I placed last."

Lilly's face was as red as the upper half of Elelel's PokeBall. "P-P-Polleniah!"

"Are you a fan, asked the pop star, "Lilly?"

Lilly was hopping up and down in her heels. "Yes! Yes! Yes, I'm a fan!"

"I'm honoured!" grinned Polleniah. "Your performance was just stunning! Having Elelel manipulate its Aqua Jet into the shape of a Sharpedo- brilliant!"

"And you, Riley," Elric added. "Your Burndillo's use of the power of its Perfect Talent was amazing! I would be more surprised if you told me this was your first performance- even though I know it is! See, I told you that the two of you were made for the stage!"

The assistant director walked in. "Coordinators, great job all of you. We're crowning the Contest Palace King or Queen now."

"I'm so excited!" Lilly smiled, taking the same pose she always did when she was overwhelmed with joy.

The four Pokemon Contest Coordinators stepped onto the red carpet that had been laid out before them. Three fashionable ladies wearing matching dresses each held a medal in their hands. One held a blue medal, one held a bronze medal, and the last held a silver medal.

Holding hands, the four Coordinators walked forward at the same pace. Polleniah was the first to stop walking with the group when the first woman wearing a white dress, the one holding the blue medal, stepped out in front of her. Polleniah bowed her head as the woman placed the cheapest of the medals over her neck. "Our country's biggest musical sensation, Polleniah!"

Next, Elric stopped walking. The woman holding the bronze medal blocked his path. He kneeled down because of his height and bowed his head so that the woman could put the medal around his neck. He held it up and struck a borderline-provocative modelling pose for the hyped-up audience, who screamed and cheered for him.

Lilly whispered in Riley's ear as she walked further toward Contest Palace throne, "I can't believe we both made it this far. I wonder who's going to get the crown and the gold medal."

The third woman, holding the silver medal, stepped out in front of the kids. She curtsied before them, and placed the silver medal around Lilly's neck. Lilly waved to Riley as he kept walking. "Congrats, Contest Palace King!"

A man in a black and white tuxedo with a stylish brunette scruff and dazzling blue eyes stood just in front of the throne. Riley kneeled down before him, and the fashionable man placed a gold medal around Riley's neck, and a gold crown atop his head. This was such a big deal that Riley could hardly contain himself. He stood up as quickly as he could.

With that, the entire hall was ambushed with fireworks and lights and loud, cheerful music. Riley waved to his adoring audience and held up the real winner, Burndillo. Another one of the people standing near the throne, this one with overblown makeup and pink hair, put an adhesive-backed ribbon on Burndillo's chest, labeling it as the Normal Rank Coolness Contest winner!

"Wow..." Lilly panted. "Did we really just have a Pokemon Contest with Pop Idol Polleniah, and Model and Master Coordinator Elric!?"

The blonde flower-named girl ran up. "You both did amazingly! I was so enthralled! And so was Saturnius! Now that I've seen you guys take on a Pokemon Contest, I really want to try it as well!" She sighed, putting her hand on Saturnius' head. "It's too bad I'm so terribly busy. Why don't we trade PokeVice contacts?"

"Yeah!" Lilly and Riley both gave their PokeVice contact information to Lillie.

"Well, like I said, I'm really busy, so I should be off now. I hope we meet again! You guys were a huge help to me and I don't know how to thank you." She pondered. "So here." She dug around in her bag (which was the same brand that Riley and Lilly had). "Ah-ha!" She pulled out a handful of empty Great Balls. She gave five to Riley, and five to Lilly. "Farewell! Good luck on your Pokemon League journeys!" And with that, she was gone.

"I sure hope," Lilly started, "that she doesn't get in so much trouble again... That rotten Team Delta! I'm going to find out what's up with them!" Then, Riley noticed somebody walking out from the Contest Palace. He called the man over.

"Riley, Lilly, you did great in the Contest Palace! I'm proud of you!" the man, who was actually Derreck, smiled.

"Wait, you know me?" Lilly questioned, puzzled.

"Riley told me about you." Derreck smiled at Lilly, then Riley.

"Riley talked to you about me?" Lilly seemed suspicious for a second, but it soon went away. "Wow, you must be something special for Riley to talk to you about anything!"

Lilly noticed something on Derreck's lapel. "Is that the Moon Badge?"

"Indeed, Lilly."

"Wow!" Lilly smiled. "Does that mean you beat the Gym Leader of Eclisse City? Do you know where the Pokemon Gym is?"

"I am the Gym Leader of Eclisse City, my dear Lilly," Derreck explained.

"How cool!" Lilly grinned. "Can I challenge your Pokemon Gym, then?"

"Unfortunately, no." Derreck checked the time on his PokeVice. "I just got out of the Contest Palace, and now I have to go do some research at the Prehistory Museum in Dinohlr Town."

"Oh darn..." Lilly sighed, slouching over dramatically. "Can we come, at least?"

"You could," Derreck said. "But I won't be taking you. I really must hurry." He rushed off to the south side of Eclisse City, which was the location of a very steep cliff with a very dangerous downhill road on it. Usually, a wire tram would take people from the top of the cliff to the bottom, but it had been out of commission for days now. They would all just have to walk down.


	11. Chapter 11

Lilly walked up to the railing on the edge of the cliff and put her hands on it. She looked out at the large canyon below, and at the river that ran through it. On the other side of the canyon was a mid-sized town that had a big museum at its heart, and a fully-constructed Tyrantrum made of huge bones. "Wow... That's Dinohlr Town, I guess?"

Riley, too, looked over the cliff at the lowlands. It was weird seeing so much bare, deserted rock when he was so used to seeing grass and mountains and rivers and lakes. He was excited to get a closer and get what his adventure through Chinocko had coming for him!

"Riley," Lilly said, snapping the boy out of his sightseeing. "I'm..." She blushed and shook, before composing herself. "I'm... too scared to go down the cliff... on my own..."

Riley nodded. He would accompany Lilly down the cliffside until they reached the bottom. He, too, was intimidated by the dangerous rocky cliff, anyway. It would be helpful for him to go down with his best friend.

Riley took a step out onto the unrailed section of the cliff. There was a stairway made from rocks, but it was unsturdy and rocky dust chipped off when he stepped. Looking down the cliff, he saw that Derreck had already made it to the bottom. How had he made it down so quickly?

"You okay, Riley?" Lilly asked, taking her first step onto the cliff.

Riley nodded, walking down a semi-flat patch of rock face rather quickly as not to slip. He found himself approaching a position where he could no longer move forward.

"To your left, Riley," Lilly pointed out. "Turn left and go down."

Riley noticed that to his left was a brief give in the steep cliff that he could use to turn around and start going down further. He took the path, before coming across a piece of rock that had absolutely broken off, damaging the wooden bridge that had been constructed before him. Grabbing Lilly's hand, Riley carefully crossed the damaged wooden bridge with his partner.

There was a ladder on the other side, and Riley climbed down it, Lilly following. They were almost to the ground. They thankfully rested on a large rock that was safe to walk on. Unfortunately, it looked like there was a pair of Pokemon Trainers also sitting on the rock.

"You guys look tired. You tired as me, though?" asked the burly hiker who was lugging a big backpack on his shoulders and had a masculine, if not slightly messy beard.

"If you thought climbing down this cliff was hard, trying climbing up it!" groaned the accompanying female hiker, who wasn't carrying a backpack but was wearing cargo pants that had things overflowing from their pockets.

"A battle? Here? Oh, this can't be safe." Lilly chirped, scared.

"Well, our eyes've met," nodded the resting hiker. "So that means there's no turning down our battle!"

"I don't like it either, but it's the rules," murmured the smaller female hiker. She sent out her Pokemon, a majestic bird Pokemon that had a thick wooden stick in its mouth that looked like it had been fashioned into a sword.

"Corv!" it cawed.

The bigger, burlier of the hikers sent out a Machoke.

Lilly sent out Elelel. Riley sent Pupsky into battle!

"Ur-pup!" Pupsky barked, its tail wagging out of its eagerness to battle.

"Machoke, use Focus Blast!" ordered the manly hiker. His Pokemon closed its eyes and put its hands together, gaining focus.

"Corvekt," called the male hiker's partner. "Use Fly!" The black-feathered bird flew up into the air, far too high for any of the other Pokemon to reach it with an attack.

"Elelel, use Aqua Jet on Machoke!" As per Lilly's request, the small blue Pokemon powered up a water-type attack and ran its cold water jet into the muscular purple opponent.

Riley nodded and grunted to Pupsky. He clenched his fist and pointed at his adorable Pokemon with his index finger. Pupsky nodded back. It ran up to Machoke and chomped down tight, right on the front of the Machoke's garment. With a yelp, the Fighting-type Pokemon fainted, and the hiker called it back. He sent out another Pokemon, this one a Poison- and Rock-type Pokemon named Toxock. It had a shell of hard rock that was chipped in some places, revealing the plasmodial body inside. On the front of the rock shell, there appeared to be an image of a skull, complete with crossbones.

Just then, Corvekt came crashing down, running its sword right into Elelel. Elelel flew back, in pain, but swam through the air back to where it had been standing. "Elelel, counter that attack with Water Gun!"

Elelel launched a powerful Water Gun at the Flying-type Pokemon opposing it. It took a decent amount of damage, but it wasn't even bothered by the pain it was supposedly in. It just sat back and awaited its trainer's orders.

Toxock floated over to Pupsky and attempted to use Toxic on it, but its attack missed the swift, fluffy Pokemon! Pupsky, using its closeness to Toxock to its advantage, used Tackle on the Pokemon, knocking it back!

But Toxock was hardly damaged by Pupsky's weak Normal-type attack. It spun around in the air, its gelatinous insides reaching out to its rocky shell to keep it in proper shape. It targeted Elelel for its next attack, which was Rock Smash!

It floated in the air over to Elelel and opened up its rock shell, sliding its cellular body around Elelel before smashing its shell back into place, damaging Elelel critically by landing a critical hit!

To avenge Elelel, Pupsky used Bite, and landed a critical hit of its own on Toxock! But Toxock's Ability, Sturdy, prevented it from fainting by allowing it to hold on with just barely any health left.

Corvekt drew its neck back, and obeyed its Trainer's command. "Use Slash!" It swung its neck, causing the wooden sword in its beak to hit Pupsky. The grey fur-covered Pokemon yelped, the sword making a loud smack-like noise upon contact with Pupsky.

"Stoath, you're up!" Lilly called, sending out the evolved version of Stoaf. "Use Tackle on Toxock!" It did, using great speed. It smashed its shoulder right into Toxock, causing Toxock to faint.

Pupsky jumped onto Corvekt's chest, holding on with its claws, and used Bite, biting down hard on the base of the bird's neck. Corvekt fainted! "No!" the hiking woman shrieked. "My only Pokemon!"

"Don't worry, dear. I've still got one more," smiled the big hiker man.

"Zock-zock!" it chittered. It was another Toxock, but this one had a red core and a glossy black shell, unlike its predecessor that had an uneven, grey shell and a purple core.

Riley was curious, and aimed his PokeDex at the oddly-pigmented Toxock. "Toxock. Igneous Form, one of Toxock's three forms. Rock- and Fire-type. Toxock create shells from the rocks that are found in their habitats. Depending on the type of rock found in the habitat where a Toxock makes its home, it will have different properties because of the differing minerals in the rocks it uses as a shell."

The Toxock from before had been in its Metamorphic Form, and was Rock- and Poison-type. That's what the information Riley read on his PokeDex said, at least.

Toxock used Ember on Stoath, but Stoath had just used Protect! It took no damage! Pupsky took this opportunity to use Bite! Like the previous Toxock, Pupsky landed a critical hit on this one! Except, also like the previous Toxock, this one had Sturdy as its Ability. Thankfully, though, Stoath used Scratch. It swung its claw-tipped tail at the Toxock, making it faint!

"Yes!" Lilly cheered. "We did it, Riley! Great work!"

"Yes, great work ind-!" The female hiker began, but gasped! Pupsky was glowing with a bright white light!

"Pup-pup!" it barked, excited as it could possibly be! The white light surrounding it engulfed it, and all of the trainers had to block their eyes with their arms so it didn't blind them. Riley could see through his fingers that Pupsky was rapidly growing and changing behind the curtain of white light. Its frame was growing bigger, and sleeker, and stronger-looking!

When the light cleared, in Pupsky's place was a majestic dog-like Pokemon with a pair of on-edge upright ears, long, swift-looking, muscular legs, two fluffy tails, broad shoulders that matched well with its huge chest muscles, and a mane of fur around its neck that looked like a large, fluffy scarf. "Bark!" it howled. "Barksky!" Its eyes were even more beautiful than they were in the Pokemon's Pupsky state, one a rich chocolate brown and the other an icy blue.


	12. Chapter 12

Riley was so proud of Pupsky! He'd known and loved it his entire life, an now it was finally evolving! He held up his PokeDex to his evolved buddy. "Number 11, Barksky. Normal- and Ice-type. The Loyal Pokèmon. Barksky are extremely loyal and protective, and are excellent guide-Pokèmon. Their sense of smell is unrivaled, and they tend to cry to the moon at night. They build friendships easily, and it is believed that if both their tails are wagging, they are around a friend. This often proves true, which makes them very reliable for search-and-rescue missions and such."

"Your Pokemon evolved!" the backpack-lugging man smiled, happy. "How cool! Good luck getting down the cliff! Here, this is your prize money." He handed both young Trainers a handful of money.

They approached the bridge that crossed over the river that they'd seen from the top of the cliff, from Eclisse City. "Wow..." Lilly panted. "That was an intense route... I sure hope they repair the tram soon." She spun around happily as she skipped across the safe bridge. "Hey, looks like we made it!"

Riley looked around at the medium desert town. It was bright and hot, the complete opposite of its uphill partner. "We should check in at the Pokemon Centre," Lilly added. Riley nodded. She was right.

The Pokemon Centre in this town was attached to a dust-covered parking lot that had only a handful of cars parked in it. There were also a couple motorcycles parked in their designated spots, too.

Riley and Lilly both gave their Pokemon to Nurse Joy. Riley had currently had 4 Pokemon, and Lilly 3.

Lilly sat down with her cold drink that she got from the vending machine. "Let's compare our PokeDexes! If I can't beat you in battle, I can at least beat you at something!"

Riley agreed, and booted up his PokeDex. He'd caught four Pokemon: Burndillo, Darwing, Concealpillar, and Pupsky, who had just evolved into Barksky. Two of those Pokemon had been given to him, not caught, but Riley was grateful to have them on his journey with him anyways. Aside from that, he'd seen plenty other Pokemon. He'd seen Lilly's Elelel plenty of times. He'd seen her Hermiflage quite a bit as well. Her Stoaf, now Stoath, Riley hadn't seen as much of, but e had seen it. However, he'd seen Stoaf in the wild before he encountered a Trainer that had one.

The Team Delta Grunt that blocked his way in Tempura Forest had an Eevee, which Riley thought was absolutely cute. There was the Pikachu that Riley saw, as well as the Raindeer that he scanned with his PokeDex on Route 1's Nature Bridge. In Suncoast City, Riley encountered a couple interesting Pokemon as well. Worum was a very, very common Pokemon, but the one he'd found in Sandra's Gym was the first he had the chance to scan with his PokeDex.

Riley remembered being perplexed by Asterfish's ability to use its broken-off appendage to attack. He also remembered being surprised to find that Darwing had multiple forms. He was also surprised that he couldn't catch a Maskalmon because he didn't have his Tag Package yet. Getting to Eclisse City, he remembered spotting some intriguing Pokemon at the airport. Many looked like pet material, but he saw a pair of Trainers engaged in a battle while they were waiting for the plane to arrive.

One of them used a strong-looking green and white Pokemon that looked like a tall woman wearing a fancy dress. The other fought with a large, black cat-like Pokemon that had fire on its waist. They both looked so strong. Riley would be that strong one day, and he couldn't wait for it!

Riley recalled the Team Delta Grunts from Eclisse City's amusement park and their Pokemon. He also smiled, remembering Lillie and Saturnius. Where had they gone off to? Hopefully not into trouble again.

Riley returned his memories to Suncoast City, where he remembered seeing the Pokemon playing around in the pool where the motel manager, Gym Leader Sandra's father, gave him his Mysterious Souvenir. He took it out of the side pocket of his bag and observed its odd detail.

The object's form and details reminded Riley of the pedestals that he'd seen, both in the forest and in the cove off of Route 5. Was there a coincidence to be drawn?

The young trainer remembered Goslaire, the sleek and graceful Electric-type Pokemon that Elric used in his Pokemon Contest against Riley. He also remembered Maskoon. Maybe, with hard work, Concealpillar, like Pupsky, would evolve.

He recalled Toxock and its two forms, and Corvekt and its unique and unfamiliar Pokemon Battling style.

"Your Pokemon are all refreshed and ready for adventure yet again!" gleamed the always-joyous Nurse Joy.

"Thanks, Nurse!" Lilly grabbed her three PokeBalls, and RIley's four. She handed Riley his Pokemon's PokeBalls and turned to Nurse Joy, smiling, "Have a nice day!"

"Let's check out the Tyrantrum fossil!" Lilly urged, jumping up and down on her feet!

Riley smiled, chuckling, as he was forced to walk next to her as she dragged him to the attraction. It was the beginning of spring, the end of summer, and the fossilized titan had gained quite the following, apparently.

"Come on! Let's climb it!"

There was, indeed, a staircase inside the Pokemon's bones that had been built to seem like it was part of the structure, even though it was clearly not. Lilly's steps were shaky at first, but her excitement pushed her further and further up the fossil's body until she didn't care that she could see the ground far, far below her! And it was no short climb, either!

Riley was forced to follow, unable to abandon his best friend when she was just so happy. He wanted to experience whatever was making her so exuberant alongside her. He ran up the carved-out staircase and met Lilly inside the Tyrantrum's jaw. There was a railing that had been built around the fossil's big, sharp teeth. Like she did in Eclisse City, above that dangerous cliff face, she spread her arms out across the railing and peered out at the view. She could see the whole desert town from up here in the dragon's mouth.

The sun was setting on the hilly horizon. It had a couple times while Riley and Lilly had been on their journeys, but they were so busy adventuring day and night to stop to notice it. Chinocko was so big, but now that the two young Pokemon Trainers were on their region-wide challenge, the Chinocko Region seemed to get smaller and smaller. Or maybe the two of them were just growing and growing.

"Riley, I'm just so excited," sighed Lilly. "We've been at this for so long, and we're making really steady progress through our Pokemon League Challenge." She turned around from her viewpoint to look Riley in the eyes. "But try not to lose focus of the reason Professor Maple sent us on this journey. We have to help as many Pokemon as we possibly can. I know we haven't really come across any big opportunities to help Pokemon, but if we do, promise me you'll take them in a heartbeat."

Riley put his hand over his heart and nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

"Then it's a promise. I'm going to call Maple and let her know where we're at in our journey together." True to her word, Lilly activated her PokeVice and used it to make a call to Professor Maple.

"Kids!" Maple smiled, throwing a curtain across something weird that was hiding behind her. She moved some hair out of her eye and began again, "how's your adventure going so far? That looks like Dinohlr Town."

"It is!" Lilly beamed. She extended her arm and moved it across the horizon to show Maple the beautiful view. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is," Maple smiled gently. "Have you guys been taking care of yourselves?"

"Yes, we have." Lilly sat down on the single chair that was set up in the Tyrantrum's jaw. "We're up here inside the big Tyrantrum fossil Do you know anything about it?"

"Yes," Maple nodded. "I do, in fact, know a little about Fossil Pokemon. I studied them a while ago in order to get an understanding of the Fossil Revitalization Technology that has been steadily advancing in the past handful of years."

"Wow!" Lilly jumped up from her seat and looked in the direction of the Prehistory Museum. "My mom told me that there's a laboratory inside the Prehistory Museum that is exclusively for Pokemon Fossil Revitalization. Is that true?"

"Yes, Lilly." Maple closed her eyes, her cheeks relaxing and her smile growing wide. "That is where I studied for half a year. I figured that Pokemon Fossil Revitalization would be helpful in Pokemon Conservation. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand some of the core mechanics, so I had to give up my studies and decided to leave it to the professionals."

"Aww, I wish you could have continued your studies here. This seems like a nice place."

"Don't worry about it, Lilly. Since it's such a nice place, why don't you find a way to enjoy it yourselves?"

"We are," nodded Lilly, panning her camera over to Riley, who also nodded. "We are, Maple. I'm so glad you sent us on this adventure!"

"Stay safe, guys! And keep taking every opportunity you get to help Pokemon!" With that Professor Maple hung up her end of the PokeVice call.

Lilly and Riley walked down from the Tyrantrum fossil, and met a face that was very familiar to Riley. Eric?

"Well, hello, Riley," Pokemon Conservationist Eric smiled, waving. "Who's this you're with?"

"I'm Lilly," RIley's best friend answered, before asking, "do you know Riley?"

"Yes, in fact, I do. My name is Eric, and I'm a Pokemon Conservationist." Eric extended his free hand for Lilly to shake it, and she did.

"Cool! So are we!"

"You are?" asked Eric.

"Yeah!" Lilly beamed. "We work with Professor Maple."

"You do, huh? It's a coincidence finding you here, Riley. And you too, Lilly." Eric pulled a small box out of his bag. "I need a young Pokemon Trainer to take these off my hands."

"What are those?" Lilly prodded.

"These are Pokemon Fossils," Eric explained. "I was visiting the Prehistory Museum here in order to expand my knowledge on the nature of fossilized Pokemon. I found it a great deal helpful to my Pokemon Conservation efforts. But these fossils, I'm sure, would be happier in the hands of a bright, strong Pokemon Trainer. I, myself, do not battle with Pokemon, but I think that these Fossil Pokemon would love to experience that thrill. Will you take them? My gift."

Riley and Lilly both jumped, each raising an arm in excitement. "Yes!" Lilly beamed.

"Alright," Eric smiled, happy to gift the young Pokemon Trainers. "Riley, why don't you choose first? Here, I'll explain the fossils."

He propped the box up on a large sand-coloured rock. He opened it. Inside were two fossils. "This here," Eric began, pointing to an ice-sheeted fossil that looked feline, "is the Tail Fossil. It can be given life and will become a Bluntooth, an Ice-type Pokemon that lived during an Ice Age long before humans came into existence in the Pokemon world.

"And this, here," he explained, pointing to a rock that looked like some big-headed dinosaur with a bunch of horns on its cranium, "is the Head Fossil. It can be given life to become a Ramrock, a Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon that lived during the same time as Tyrantrum and other now-fossilized Pokemon."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Lilly remarked.

"So, Riley," Eric began. "What will it be? Head Fossil or Tail Fossil?"

Without a doubt, Riley went for the Tail Fossil. He ran his finger over the strange and mysterious ice that was encasing the fossil.

"And... Lilly, did you say?" Eric second-guessed himself. "This is for you, the Head Fossil."

"Ee!" squealed Lilly. "I'm so intrigued by how these rocks can turn into living Pokemon!"

"It is really interesting, isn't it?" Eric smiled and waved, returning his attention to his tablet. "I do wish pleasant coincidences like this would keep occurring!"

"Riley," Lilly said, determined. "I'm going straight to the Prehistory Museum! You can come if you want, but I'm super excited to see how much my new Ramrock likes to battle!"

Riley stayed behind and watched Lilly frolic to the doors of the ginormous Prehistory Museum. Riley was short, even for his age, but everything in Chinocko's bigger cities seemed so gigantic to him. Maybe it was because he was so used to a mediocre smalltown life? Whatever it was, he wanted to see the rest of Chinocko's amazing sights!

He began his walk into the Prehistory Museum, which was built with a modern contemporary architecture in mind, but was blended with natural rocks and huge Pokemon bones to make it seem like a dinosaur museum.

He stopped at the PC that was at the museum's main desk and deposited Darwing into his Pokemon PC Box. He was sad to watch the bird go, but he knew caring for so many Pokemon just couldn't be done. It would be better off in-

"Hello!"

Riley stumbled back. Sure, Riley wasn't familiar with how PCs worked, but it just said hello! What was he supposed to do!?

He took a step closer, intimidated. "I'm sorry to shock you," said a blue-skinned man wearing a suit and tie in the corner of the PC's screen. "My name is Sir Kit, and I'm your Virtual Assistant! I'll make sure your Pokemon are healthy and happy while they're in your Pokemon PC Box."

Riley smiled uncomfortably. "May I ask your name?" ... "Riley, huh? Nice name! Was there anything in particular you wanted to do right now?"

Riley pressed his finger to the screen. He navigated the menus until he found his Pokemon PC Box. Sir Kit instructed Riley on how to deposit his Pokemon. "To Deposit a Pokemon, simply put the PokeBall that it is inside in this chute here." When he said that, lights on the chute glowed, reinforcing that this was the object he was talking about. Riley inserted Darwing's PokeBall into the cylindrical chute and, when he did, it separated into a flurry of pixels that flew inside the computer.

Darwing looked around itself. "Aww! Look how cute and healthy Darwing is! I'll take good care of it," Sir Kit bowed with determination.

Darwing wandered around the virtual space, confused as to what was going on, but Riley trusted it was in good care. He waved by to Darwing, and the Muddyfoot Darwing waved back with its wing. Riley logged off of the PC and walked over to the Pokemon Fossil Rejuvenation Centre's counter.

There was a handsome-looking man in a lab coat waiting at the counter. "Hello," the man began, scratching his chin and fixing the position of his glasses. "Can I help you?"

Riley placed his Tail Fossil on the counter. "A Tail Fossil, huh?" the man questioned. "I'm on it! It may take a while, so feel free to browse the museum while I'm at work revitalizing your Tail Fossil."

And so, Riley did investigate the museum. He found several interesting artifacts. There were skeletons of huge Dragon-type Pokemon, some of which were long-gone, and some of which resembled Pokemon that could be found today. Riley checked out the fossils section next. It made him feel a little uneasy. He thought to himself, if they have the technology to revive fossilized Pokemon, why would they keep certain ones in a museum? The laboratory with the technology necessary was literally under the same roof.

Not wanting to doddle on that thought, Riley checked out the other exhibits, letting his three Pokemon, Burndillo, Barksky, and Concealpillar, out of their PokeBalls to see the intriguing artifacts with him. Interestingly, there were some preserved cave markings that depicted a fish-type beast and a bipedal beast of massive proportions in comparison to the people depicted in the artifact. It looked like something from a far-off region. Perhaps a tropical one? If so, what was it doing here in Chinocko?

Next, Riley examined a hallway that had photos and paintings on the walls. One of the photos looked like it was taken by a professional photographer, almost like it was meant for a magazine. In it was a girl about Riley's age, who wore a red skirt and hat. She was standing in front of a beautiful-looking stone structure that looked like a flower.

In a painting that was next to the polaroid-printed photo, a Saburr was drawn. It looked very realistic, despite Riley not having ever seen a Saburr before because they were fossilized, and now very, very rare.

A Mamoswine was depicted in another painting that looked to be by the same artist. Though this one was slightly older-looking and not as well preserved. Across the hall from that, on the other wall, was an in-depth anatomical study of Bellyp, which was believed to have been one of the oldest biological Pokemon in the world.

Toxock was also depicted in a study that was next to the framed Bellyp picture. This study showed Toxock's three forms, as well as a hypothesis on the appearance of Toxock without its shell on. Nobody in recorded history had ever seen Toxock without its rocky shell, so Riley had seen this particular picture often in his science textbooks.

That was the end of the exhibits that he particularly wanted to see, so he returned to the Pokemon Fossil Rejuvenation Centre in hopes that his Bluntooth had been born.

It had! It looked so curious and scared. "Here's Bluntooth. The service charge will be 1000, please."

Riley handed over the appropriate amount of money and went outside, sitting on some benches in the middle of town with his new Pokemon in his arms.

It was very small and furry. It had long, warm orange fur that had black stripes along it on its back, sides, and legs, and on its belly and chin was a layer of warm, fluffy white fur. Between its erect triangular ears, the Pokemon wore a stylish mohawk that was made completely out of sky-blue translucent ice. The same ice was also crystallizing on the back of the Pokemon's four knees, as well as the very tip of its sleek tail.

Riley pointed his PokeDex at Bluntooth for more information on his new friend. "Bluntooth. Ice-type. Born from the Tail Fossil. The Sabertooth Pokèmon. Bluntooth once lived in an ice age, and are very determined and rather skilled fighters. They cover their bodies in ice as a defense mechanism, which, thanks to their muscular structure, doesn't slow them down in the slightest."


	14. Chapter 14

"Riley!" called Lilly. "Have you seen Derreck?" She looked around. "He said he was going to be in the museum, right?" The fashionable young girl sighed. "Well, if he won't battle me, will you at least? Ramrock is raring for a battle!"

Riley agreed, and let Bluntooth jumped out of his arms. The cute cat sniffed the armoured dinosaur Pokemon, then jumped back when it realized it smelled the scent of aggression. Bluntooth growled, icy-cold air bellowing out from its throat through its teeth.

"Ramrock, start us off! Use Iron Tail!"

The Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon ran up to Bluntooth and used Iron Tail, swinging its armoured tail at the feline Pokemon and landing a super-effective hit!

Bluntooth looked back at Riley to receive its order. When it did, it used Ice Fang! It clamped its sharp fangs down on Ramrock's neck and dealt hefty damage with its critical hit!

Ramrock then used Rock Smash, but its attack missed! Using the shocked dinosaur's misstep to its advantage, Bluntooth used Superpower! It was enough to make Ramrock faint! "Ramrock! Return and get some rest!" Lilly cried out. "Okay, out comes Hermiflage!"

The Normal- and Grass-type Pokemon would be weak to Bluntooth's Ice-type attacks. Riley ordered Bluntooth to use Ice Fang again!

But Hermiflage's Ability kicked in when it walked near a field of grass. It became practically invisible in the grass! Bluntooth simply couldn't find it to attack it!

From underneath Bluntooth's paws, the Hermiflage used Rock Smash! It was super effective against Bluntooth, and the feline Pokemon fainted!

Riley gasped. He hadn't expected Bluntooth to faint. But he knew what to do. Hermiflage would be weak to Burndillo's Fire-type moves. He sent out Burndillo! Burndillo tried to use Ember, but like Bluntooth, it couldn't find its target!

"Hermiflage, withdraw! Go Elelel!" Lilly sneered.

Elelel hit Burndillo with a Water Gun, and Burndillo nearly fainted completely! It held on with little health remaining. What could Riley do now!? He was so stressed out that he would lose. He withdrew Burndillo and sent out Concealpillar. Concealpillar would be weak to Elelel's Water-type attacks, but if it could pull off a Grass Knot, a move it had recently learned, Elelel would be in trouble.

Elelel used Water Gun!

But Concealpillar protected itself!

It quickly used Grass Knot on Elelel, and the eel's health was cut clean in half! Elelel tried to land another attack, this time Aqua Jet, but its attack missed, just barely! Concealpillar pulled off another Grass Knot, causing Elelel to faint!

"Eek! Elelel, no! Get some rest!" Lilly put her hands on her cheeks in shock. How could she take care of this pesky bug? "Hermiflage, it's your turn!"

Hermiflage came back into battle, still unharmed! If Concealpillar could land a Bug-type attack, Hermiflage could possibly faint! Hermiflage jumped out of the grass to use Leaf Blade! It covered its sharp claws in leaves and swung them at Concealpillar! It wasn't very effective, though, and Concealpillar caused Hermiflage to faint when it used Bug Bite on it!

"No! It's really getting down to the wire! Stoath!"

Lilly sent out Stoath, who looked aggressive. It was ready for an intense battle!

Stoath used Protect, and it was successful! Concealpillar's Grass Knot did absolutely no damage!

Stoath used Shadow Claw. Its tail was cloaked in shadows and it swung it at Concealpillar. A critical hit! Concealpillar was down!

Riley had only one Pokemon left, but so did Lilly. Riley sent out Barksky, who had learned a new move since it had evolved! Brick Break! It used the Fighting-type move on the Normal- and Ground-type prairie dog Pokemon, and its super effective power caused Stoath to faint!

"Wow! You're still as strong as ever, Riley!" Lilly squeaked, defeated.

"Agreed. That was quite the battle."

Huh!? Who just spoke?

"I should hope you bring that sort of power with you to my Pokemon Gym."

"Yes sir, Mr. Derreck!" Lilly said obediently. But then she groaned, angry. "Hey, you're finally here! You sure kept us waiting, huh!"

"Last time I checked, the world revolves around the sun, not a single Pokemon Trainer," Derreck remarked with sarcasm. "For your information, I was discussing funding for the tram system on Route 7. It's not going to get repaired for free, and as a budget manager, it's my job to get funding for important projects like this."

"Then why did you say you were doing 'research' at the Prehistory Museum?" Lilly asked, getting pushy.

"I was, technically." Derreck was getting exasperated now. He explained, "I don't get to visit other places very often because of my jobs. I wanted to experience the Prehistory Museum for the first time in a long time, so I did. We were holding our meeting in the Community Centre right next to the Prehistory Museum and the Pokemon Centre, anyway."

"Oh..." Lilly sighed. "I'm sorry for getting pushy."

"No apology necessary. The tram repairs should be done by morning. Here, I'll get us a motel room here so we can rest briefly before you two visit my Pokemon Gym in the morning."

"I'd like that," Lilly smiled.

The motel here was much different than the one in Suncoast City. This one was modest and cheaply-furnished. Despite this, Riley felt particularly at-home in his motel room. It wasn't like he'd be staying here long. It reminded him of his small home back in the small New Moon Town.

And judging by the way Barksky was playing around on the bedsheets, it reminded him of it too.

Riley sighed and curled up in the fresh-smelling sheets. He drifted off into a nice, relaxing rest that he woke up from feeling completely refreshed. The rest of his Pokemon also woke up beside him on the bed.

"Okay! It's Gym Battle time!" Lilly yelled, jumping up on alternating feet.

"Indeed," Derreck nodded. "I shall see you at my gym in Eclisse City."

Riley nodded and waved as Derreck and Lilly headed off for the tram system that would take them up the cliff, much more safely this time.

Riley stopped at the Pokemon Centre and checked the catalog in the PokeMart section. There was a new item called a Super Potion. He ordered a handful of them, paid, and bid farewell to the cashier before bidding farewell to Dinohlr Town.

He headed to the tram station. There was an ovoid woman standing behind the counter. She had a joyous expression on her face as she greeted Riley. "How may I help you today? Lookin' for a ride?"

Riley nodded as he was, indeed, looking for a ride up to Eclisse City.

"You're that kid!" the woman behind the service counter gasped. "You helped that girl when she almost got her Pokemon stolen, and on top of that you partook in a Pokemon Contest with Elric and Polleniah, two of the most well-known people in Chinocko!"

Riley blushed. He was obtaining a following.

"Here's your ticket," smiled the woman, handing Riley his ticket. "The next tram shuttle should be here shortly, kid."

The ride was short and calm, and the staff member who was inside the tram with Riley kept bringing up conversation with him.

"I used to work in the Unova region. There's a town called Nimbasa City. I worked at the theme park there. But then I realized there was a way cooler theme park in Eclisse City, so I just had to move here and work here!" The girl, in her twenties likely, sighed, adjusting the skirt of her uniform. "Then I realized how much I miss the sights of being in a shelter high above the ground here, so I moved in to Dinohlr Town so I could work here. Nothing compares to the feeling of flying, but knowing you're safe."

She started blushing, "I'm sorry, I got carried away talking about myself. We're here."

Riley waved goodbye after giving a mild tip to the friendly staff member. Right through the tram station on the top of the mountain was the amusement park. Riley thought he'd give a ride or two a try before his gym challenge.

Thankfully for him, the lines were pretty short today for most of the rides. He pulled the bar over his thighs, jumping in his seat. He managed to get the first seat on the train, and he was-

Off, apparently! The coaster attached itself to a chain that pulled it slowly, agonizingly up its track. It was at its peak when Riley got his first great look at the Eclipse Mall. The Eclipse Mall was the biggest shopping attraction in Chinocko, and one of the biggest in the world. He gazed at it, and time seemed to slow as he took in the beautiful sight.

Its exterior design was clearly inspired by castle architecture that would look right at home in the Kalos region. Except it was spilling out lights of every imaginable pastel-bright colour possible. It blended well with the amusement park's futuristic design and its endless lights. Above the mall was the gigantic moon, leaving its glow as a silhouette around the colossal mall.

The main entrance was no less than extravagant. The mall boasted an Ice Rink, Pokemon Centre, numerous hotels, stores in the hundreds, Eclisse City's unique fashion store, Moonlit Looks, a swimming pool, a huge PokeMart, a cafe, and even a Pokemon Contest Shop. There was even more that Riley couldn't remember reading about on the newspaper ads.

Nope! That was all Riley got before he was sent flying downwards in his seat. The momentum from the huge drop lasted the coaster almost its entire track's length, and it almost never slowed down. Riley was mesmerized by how the coaster incorporated the design of the terrifying Coffagrigus into its aesthetic.

The train pulled up to its end, and Riley got off, amazed. He wanted to go on another ride, but it was Gym Battle time! as Lilly had said!

He approached the location that Derreck had given him. It was a towering skyscraper that looked to have a penthouse at the very top. It had a horizontally-large building at its base to support the tower. Riley walked inside, curious to see what awaited him.

"Going to Derreck's Gym?" asked a teenage guy standing next to the elevator. Riley responded with his usual nod. "Alright, I've got it for you." The boy typed a code onto the touch-screen on the wall next to the elevator doors. "Right inside, sir."

Riley stepped into the elevator, excited to see what Derreck had done with his gym. He walked out onto the gym floor. The walls were painted dark-grey, and there was plenty of modern furniture in the room. There was a desk overlooking Eclisse City, and Derreck was sitting on it, as opposed to his expensive-looking chair.

At first, Riley didn't realize what this design had to do with Dark-type Pokemon, but he was sure Derreck had an explanation. And he did. When he heard Riley take a handful of steps towards his desk, he flipped up a glass box that was encasing a button that was black and had the Moon Badge's design painted stylistically on it.

The light from the moon outside stopped brightening the dark room as a metal wall slammed in front of the window. On it were two lights, in the shape of intimidating eyes like those belonging to a terrifying Pokemon like Gengar or Pangoro.

The office went completely pitch black, save for the intimidating red glow of the eyes on the wall. A dim spotlight flickered, making visible a Trainer standing in the middle of the PokeBall-designed rug in the center of the room. Gah! Riley gasped. He wasn't standing there before! How did he even get there!?

The Trainer had a black outfit that covered most of his body except his face. His hair was blonde, and he wore around his neck a thick black scarf that covered his jaw, mouth, and nose, and flowed behind him, which should have been impossible for the lack of breeze in the chilly room.

"You have fought much to make it this far, young one," the Ninja claimed calmly. "But I shall be one of your last trials before fighting for the Moon Badge." He held two fingers from each hand in front of his forehead and lifted his right leg, standing on his left leg like a flamingo. Maintaining that stance, he threw a PokeBall onto the PokeBall rug as if throwing a shuriken.


	15. Chapter 15

The Pokemon that popped out of the PokeBall was a Nuzleaf. As it materialized from the white light it took the form of to fit into the PokeBall, it hopped forward clumsily on one foot, before falling down on its face. Embarrassedly, it jumped back onto its feet and rubbed the bruise on its nose.

Riley sent out Burndillo, who happily bounced up and down in its wheel-like shell! It unrolled itself and took on a battle stance, unprofessionally balancing on its weak back legs. Riley looked into its eyes. It was scared in the dark, so it released more of the hot lava-like substance from inside its body, causing it to glow, lighting up the room.

Burndillo used Ember on Nuzleaf, but the Grass- and Dark-type Pokemon dodged the attack! It used Night Shade to counter its attacker, but it wasn't very effective.

Burndillo looked back to Riley, who ordered it to use Fire Fang! It landed its attack, and right on Nuzleaf's bruised nose, too! The opposing Pokemon fainted!

That's when Burndillo had a brilliant epiphany. It rolled up into its shell and rolled rapidly on the spot. Sparks and embers flew out from underneath it as its round shell was engulfed in flames! Riley knew what move this was! Flame Wheel! Burndillo had learned a new move, and it was Flame Wheel!

The opposing Ninja, shocked at his quick loss, sent out Darkoon, the younger form of the Pokemon that Night Shadow had used to ward of the Team Delta Grunts in the theme park.

It had a cute fur pattern, with a domino mask-resembling pattern around its pure-white eyes. It was pudgy and hopped back and forth, almost anxiously, on its four stubby legs. Its claws glistened in the blood-red light.

Riley switched out Burndillo for Barksky, who bravely opposed the Dark-type Raccoon Pokemon, its impressive senses allowing it to sense the dark room around it even without the advantage of sight.

Barksky was fast enough to make the first move! It used Brick Break, bringing the opposing Darkoon down to critically low health! Darkoon retaliated by using Feint Attack! Darkoon used the darkness to its advantage, popping in and out of the shadows and landing a strong hit on Barksky after jumping out of its shadowy disguise. As a result of being hit with the tricky-to-spot attack, the Loyal Pokemon flinched, missing its chance to attack! In its surprised state, it received a Bite attack from Darkoon's strong jaws! Barksky was unhealthy, and dangerously so!

It heightened its awareness, lowering its torso to the ground and gripping the rug with its claws. Is released a Brick Break on Darkoon, karate-chopping the Thieving Pokemon with incredible force, and caused it to become knocked out!

But the Ninja wasn't done yet! He one more trick up his sleeve, and it was one that would throw Riley completely off his high horse!

"Sa'eye!"

The purple-skinned Pokemon had what appeared to be blue gems for eyes. It teetered playfully on its legs like a half-efforted dance. It struck first, using Will-O-Wisp on Barksky! Barksky's Ice-type body couldn't handle such an intense burn, and it caused it to faint!

Riley gasped and pet the scruff under Barksky's chin, sending it guiltily back into its PokeBall to recover. He sent out Burndillo, who illuminated the room with its flames yet again! It used Fire Wheel, and rammed its rapidly-spinning shell into the Sableye! The Pokemon fell over, landing on its behind and rubbing its gut, where there was now a burn mark!

It got up, trying its best not to stretch the burn mark, as each time it did, it was injected with a shot of pain across its body. It used Dark Pulse, causing a wave of darkness to close in on Burndillo! Burndillo's lowered health caused it to be unable to withstand the attack, and it fainted!

Riley returned it to its PokeBall before it could be further hurt. He thought to himself of the strategy he should now use. Sableye's one weakness was Fairy-type, but Riley had no Fairy-type Pokemon, or Fairy-type moves!

He sent out Bluntooth, hoping it would gain experience if not defeat the enemy's Pokemon! Bluntooth used Superpower, but it had absolutely no effect on Sableye! Both Bluntooth and Riley's eyes went wide in surprise.

Sableye used Will-O-Wisp, ghostly purple flames closing in on Bluntooth and inflicting it with burn marks on its body, and leaving some of its icy armour to melt. The cat thought of what it could possibly do. It used Ice Beam!

Sableye took decent damage, but not enough to make it weak! It countered the attack by using Night Shade! Bluntooth took regular damage from the attack. Its tail flicked with worry.

Concealpillar, who had apparently escaped its PokeBall without Riley noticing, nudged Riley's ankle with its big, round head. Riley picked it up in his hand and asked it what it wanted. "Con-lar! Pi! Pi-illa! Rallip!" Its chitter made absolutely no sense to Riley, but what was clear is that it wanted to battle.

Riley, cautiously, sent Concealpillar to take on Sableye! Concealpillar looked so it excited! It had just learned a new move by watching the battle from on top of RIley's shoe!

A blinding white light came out of its body! The light sparkled like snow, before focusing itself into twenty or so focused beams that cut through Sableye like spears! It was super effective! Dazzling Gleam! Sableye was down and unable to battle!

Another glorious light emanated from Concealpillar's body, its face looking triumphant. Was it, like Barksky had, evolving!? Riley beamed with excitement! Amongst the light, four to six pieces of a spherical shell appeared in the air. They closed in on Concealpillar before they had completely encased the tiny Pokemon's body.

The light dissipated, leaving behind the body of the same Pokemon that Polleniah had used to oppose Riley, Elric and Lilly at the Contest Palace. "Koon!" it cooed, sounding absolutely joyous. It hopped up and down in its spherical shell, the eyes on its shell looking like two upward facing half-circles it was so happy! It jumped into Riley's arms, now much larger and no longer able to fit in a single one of his hands, and Riley pet it affectionately, super proud of it.

"Ha! What a great battle, young Kricketot!" the Ninja exclaimed. "Your next trial awaits, but perhaps you should heal your fainted Pokemon." Riley agreed, and left into the elevator.

He walked nervously to the Pokemon Centre, hoping not to encounter any trainers on the way. On the rooftops, he saw a familiar figure. It was Night Shadow, who seemed only to be a silhouette in the moon's calm light, and his muscular Pokemon! They both jumped over the rooftops of smaller apartments, and jumped on the rooftop of the cylindrically-structured Pokemon Centre just as Riley walked through its glass doors.

"Hey there! You're the one who participated in a Pokemon Contest with out local star, Elric, right!?" the Nurse Joy working in this particular Pokemon Centre squealed, fangirling. "And you want me to heal your Pokemon for you!? Consider it done!"

Playing on the wide-screen TV in the waiting area was the Contest Palace live broadcast. Riley sat in one of the comfy, yet stylish armchairs in the waiting area, and watched the live feed. On stage was a Macho Man that looked very familiar to Riley- Marcus, could it be?- a Beauty wearing a stylish sun dress and cropped jacket that had diamond-shaped sleeves past the elbow, a male Swimmer who had a blue wave tattoo on his left pec and was in a pose meant to show off his muscles, and a dark-skinned Pokemon Freak wearing a beige bra, a headband that had Meowth ears on it, and a bikini bottom the same colour as her bra that had a Meowth-style plush tail sewn on the back. She also had a tiara on that had a Meowth's coin on it where the middle of her forehead was.

He was a little uncomfortable watching four people showing so much skin, and decided to cheer for the Beauty, who was wearing a fashionable outfit rather than publicly acceptable underwear.

She had her Milotic, a strong and captivatingly beautiful Pokemon that had an invertebrate body, use Whirlpool. The stunning Pokemon created a tornado of water that it jumped right into, spiraling around its torrents as if dancing. When the cyclone of water eventually dissipated, the beautiful Pokemon merely basked in the spray, letting the salty water leave a gleam on its skin.

The next turn belonged to Marcus- as the announcer had confirmed Riley's suspicions- who had a Machoke. "Machoke," Marcus called excitedly. "Use Mach Punch!"

But Riley was called to pick up his Pokemon from Nurse Joy before he could watch his past opponent's Pokemon use its move. "Thanks for visiting me, Superstar-in-the-Making!" Nurse Joy cooed, waving flirtatiously at Riley, whose face instantly became blank with discomfort. He turned around slowly, keeping an eye on his back, as he heard Nurse Joy sigh and chatter with the female cashier over at the PokeMart across the lobby about Riley's Pokemon Contest, how he won, and how cute his Burndillo was.

He let Burndillo out of its PokeBall, letting it roll happily beside him as they walked back to the gym. He decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway, where he noticed a steel garbage bin outside some apartment's back door shaking as if something was inside it. He heard, "Crow!" from one of the higher-up balconies.

A Pokemon flew down and grabbed his hat! He was not going to lose that hat! It was his favourite of his articles of clothing! He yelled at the Pokemon, which looked a lot like a smaller, less intimidating version of the Corvekt that the Hiker woman on Route 7, the cliff separating Eclisse City from Dinohlr Town, that was carrying a twig rather than a thick branch that had been fashioned into a sword.

"Crowtact!" it screeched. The sound alerted the Pokemon that had been making the garbage bin shake, which was a Darkoon!

Burndillo jumped in front of Riley, ready for battle! Riley also sent out Bluntooth, who looked ready to get his hat back for him!

Darkoon made the first move, using Bite on Bluntooth. Bluntooth took the hit with little pain, and used Ice Beam on the Crowtact! It was super effective, and the Pokemon slowly lost health until it eventually couldn't take the beam anymore and fainted! Riley ran over and grabbed his hat, running back to avid getting hit by any of the Pokemon's moves!

He put his hat back on his head and turned it slightly sideways, ordering Burndillo to use Flame Wheel! His beloved partner obeyed, curling up and ramming its flame-encased body into Darkoon's gut!

The wild Pokemon nibbled on the rotten food in the bento box it had dug out of the trash, and recovered a little bit of health! It used Scratch on Burndillo, but Burndillo took the hit very well! Riley called its name and ordered it to use Ember! It shot a burning coal that it coughed up from its throat at Darkoon, and it fainted from the burn!

Riley pet both of his Pokemon. But then, Burndillo let out a screech. White light blanketed the alley, causing both Darkoon and Crowtact to limp away out of fear with the last bit of their strength that they had left. Burndillo was swallowed by the light coming out of its body!

Riley observed in its silhouette that it grew greatly larger. Its body structure changed, allowing it to rest comfortably on its hind legs. On its waist, two large shield-like shell parts appeared, and the shell on its back cracked open. The shell it was now sporting was much sleeker and complemented the Pokemon's body like a knight's armour. Riley's partner had now become fat, and learned to control the fluid that had been leaking from its shell. It now ran through its shell in a matter that made it so it no longer leaked. On top of that, both the shell on its back and the shell-shields on its thighs had huge, sharp spikes on them.

Riley got on his knees and hugged the evolved Burndillo. He rubbed its shoulder with one hand and wiped a tear from his eye with his other. "Fa-lare..." the Pokemon sighed, affectionate.

"Number 2, Flaradillo. Fire-type. The Armadillo Pokèmon. Flaradillo can stand on their hind legs for up to ten minutes before losing balance. Their shells grow spikes as a response to their bodies growing too large and breaking them. On top of this, they occasionally breathe fire, especially when angry or provoked," recited his PokeDex.

Riley dug a Poffin out of his bag and fed it to Flaradillo, joyous to see his first Pokemon growing stronger. Bluntooth rubbed its small, frail body against Flaradillo's belly, purring affectionately.

Riley's brow became intense as he wall filled with the confidence to take on the upcoming Gym Leader battle!

He ran down the city's streets, stopping only for a second to marvel in the grandness of the skyscraper that was home to Derreck's Pokemon Gym.

"Taking on the Gym again?" asked the elevator worker. He inputted the same code as last time into the screen on the wall and bowed, making an upside-down arch with his hand as he urged Riley into the elevator. Riley hopped inside, Flaradillo waddling its chubby legs inside the elevator as well.

It shot up the dozens of floors until it arrived on the top floor, Derreck's Gym. Riley stepped out, the room still as dark as it had been before. A new trainer was waiting in the middle of the PokeBall rug. This trainer was a tall, slender older teenager. He wore a black sweater, the hood pulled up over his abyssal-blue hair, and black skinny jeans with many rips and burns in them. At some times, Riley could see bloody slits in the Punk Guy's right wrist.

"There's no beating me, man!" the Punk Guy shouted loudly! "I'll show you how powerful I can be when I'm empowered by the people around me!"

Punk Guy Alexander sent out a Chinockan Pokemon, an upright fox-like creature with a line of black going down the entirety of its back. "Sournox, open up with Night Shade!"

Flaradillo waddled onto the battlefield, awkwardly adapting to walking on two legs. The opposing Pokemon Sournox, had a black headpiece-like fur pattern that outlined its ears and cheeks and had two points on either side pointing towards its fangs. There was a jewel in the middle of its forehead that sent a red pulse through the black fur on its face and down its back.

It used night shade, the jewel, fur design, and its eyes all glowing the colour of freshly-drawn blood. A huge claw crawled out of the shadows that made up most of the room and dealt a lot of damage to Flaradillo with a critical hit!

Flaradillo retaliated by using Flame Wheel! It took a moment to adapt, since Flaradillo had grown quite a lot from its previous form, but it managed to curl up into a ball, its spiked shields becoming the outsides and its spiky back shell becoming the sharp tire! Its spikes lit up like torches as Flaradillo rolled Sonic the Hedgehog-style into Sournox.

The sly creature survived only with a little health left. It chittered, repeating itself as it built up its high-pitched but adorable voice. "S-so! So, sou-sourn! Sournox!"

It performed its next attack, Shadow Claw! Its fur glowed once more, this time a ghostly purple, and the pulse followed its patterned fur to the tip of its paw. Its claws extended in a ghostly shadow as it swung them at Flaradillo! But it missed!

Flaradillo used Ember, launching a still-glowing coal at Sournox! But it hit its Shadow Claw as Sournox was retracting it and fell apart, becoming harmless. Sournox attacked Flaradillo again, using Tackle! The Fire-type Pokemon curled up in its spiky shell and blocked some of the damage from the attack, but not all. It used its rolled-up state as an advantage, charging up a Flame Wheel right after it got hit with Tackle. It landed a critical hit on Sournox and it fainted!

Riley withdrew Flaradillo to preserve its little remaining health when he heard that the opposing Punk Guy was going to be sending out Honchkrow! "Honchkrow!" it cried, tipping its hat.

What could Riley use against a Flying- and Dark-type Pokemon!? He scrambled through his possible strategies. If only he had an Electric-type Pokemon, like Elric did. Then he remembered! Flying-type is weak to Ice-type!

"Blo-ooth!" Bluntooth purred. It used Ice Beam, a super effective attack! But Honchkrow's defenses were so high that it only lost less than half of its health from the attack. Honchkrow used Sunny Day, creating a ball of light and launching it into the air to act as a temporary indoor sun. It brightened up the room, and Riley noticed something. Derreck was no longer standing behind his desk. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen at all.

Everyone but Honchkrow covered their eyes from the incredible brightness. "Honchkrow, return! Go Houndoom!"

"Droom!" barked the hound Pokemon.

"Flamethrower!" Alexander ordered.

Houndoom used the temporary sun's energy to power up its Fire-type Flamethrower! It was so powerful that Bluntooth fainted in a single hit! Riley sent out Barksky, knowing its Ice typing would put it at a disadvantage to Honchkrow, but hoping its Brick break would be enough to take down its Dark-type opponent!

Brick Break it did! A critical hit and the super effectiveness of the Fighting-type attack on Alexander's Houndoom knocked Houndoom right unconscious!

"Augh!" Alexander grunted. "Return! Honchkrow, you're on!"

Barksky took its chance to attack, using Ice Fang, an attack it had learned since gaining its secondary Ice typing. Honchkrow had been weakened, and the super effective attack caused it to faint!

"I don't feel so empowered anymore..." Alexander pouted, slouching as he dragged his feet along the ground out of Riley's way.

The temporary sun disappeared, but there was still enough light in the room for Riley to see a very familiar face at the end of the room. Lilly was descending from an elevator platform that seemed to just float through the air gently with nothing supporting it from the ceiling or the ground. She stepped out of the cylindrical elevator interior, the black railing in the front end of it sliding open for her. "Riley!"

Beside her walking, was a long, invertebrate Pokemon that had a helmet over its face that had the texture of bone. Despite its similarities, it wasn't Elelel. Riley aimed his PokeDex at it. Number 5, Moreel. Water- and Psychic-type. The Electric-Hypnotic Pokèmon. Moreel grow significantly over the course of evolution. They coil and hide in reefs of Coralyte, and then spring out of their coiled state to attack their prey. It emanates a neurotoxin that feels like an electric shock if felt. Coralyte, however, are immune to this neurotoxin."

"Impressed?" Lilly asked, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. "My Elelel evolved into Moreel!"

Riley nodded. It looked like a very honourable Pokemon.

"Oh my gosh, is that the evolution of Burndillo!?" Lilly gasped, her hands going straight to her cheeks. She pet Flaradillo's head with gentle vigor, aiming her PokeDex at it to find out more!

"Look what I got!" she exclaimed, skipping on her heels as she pointed to a third badge on her messenger-style bag's strap. "That's right, the Moon Badge! That means I'm technically beating you now!"


	16. Chapter 16

Waving bye to Lilly, Riley stepped onto the elevator pod, Burndillo sitting itself down next to its trainer's feet. As it raised, Riley sprayed one of the Super Potions he'd bought over Flaradillo. What could this elevator pod lead up to? Was Derreck up here, where it was?

COLD!

Riley shivered, wishing he'd brought with him a thicker jacket. The gigantic moon was on the horizon, all of Eclisse City below him now. He was on the roof of the skyscraper. Derreck was waiting for him. "So you made it, huh?"

Riley confirmed, and Burndillo walked up to the white side of the PokeBall design on the concrete rooftop that signified that this was a battlefield.

"The strength people see in us can be either more or less than what we really possess," Derreck began. "But what's really important is that we use the strength we really do have for the things we truly believe in. Although it can sometimes be beneficial to hide behind a false disguise, staying true to yourself is the greatest deed you will do for yourself, Riley. Remember my words."

Derreck tipped his fedora so that it covered his eyes. His blank face morphed into a smirked as he smugly threw a PokeBall onto the field. "Rip-ill!" the gigantic Water- and Dark-type Pokemon that came out of the Pokemon screeched, the zipper across its mouth ripping violently open.

Riley knew Flaradillo was not fit to take on a Water-type Pokemon, but before calling his partner back, he scanned Ripgill with his PokeDex. "Number 31, Ripgill. Water- and Dark-type. The Zipped-Up Pokèmon. Because their habitat has been polluted and become dark, Ripgill evolve to be very solitary and frankly rude. Since the pollutants block out sunlight from the water, their eyes glow in the dark to improve their visibility. Unlike Zipgill, Ripgill can control their zippers at will. The primary reason that their gills are covered by zippers is so that they can store oxygen and close off their breathing in highly-polluted areas."

Riley sent out Maskoon, who knew Grass Knot! Little known to Riley, though, Maskoon had actually also learned Leaf Blade, and has sacrificed Grass Knot in favour of the stronger attack!

Ripgill started by using Surf! It created a huge wave of water and launched it towards Maskoon! But Maskoon rolled out of the way of the attack! It procured its grassy sword and spun around inside its shell, holding onto it with its tiny black arms that reminded Riley of how Concealpillar's arms had looked in its previous form. It built up its momentum by spinning before launching the Leaf Blade at Ripgill. It landed right in the big fish's forehead, right through its pompadour fin.

"Giiiiiii!" the Pokemon screamed, flinching!

Maskoon took the opportunity to use the attack again, bringing Ripgill's health down by a quarter of what it had started with. It was stressing to Riley to leave his tiny, weak Maskoon on the battlefield after it had only done this much damage to Ripgill so far, but he sighed, clearing his mind and putting his trust in the Cocooning Pokemon.

Ripgill used Aqua Tail, slamming its fishy tail into Maskoon. It caused Maskoon's round body to roll across the rooftop like a football. It bounced back up and used Leaf Blade again! It landed a critical hit this time, and Ripgill was reduced to about a quarter of its health!

It tried to use Hydro Pump, but luckily for Maskoon, it missed! just barely!

Maskoon used Leaf Blade one last time, and Ripgill fainted. Derreck's face went red with rage. "Ripgill, how could you!? How hard is it to use one attack!?"

Riley cringed. Could he not have even congratulated the Ripgill on its good effort?

"Alright, time for an actually useful Pokemon! Go, Astunine!"

This Pokemon looked like a larger, more muscular version of Sournox. It almost resembled the ancient Egyptian God, Anubis, because of its fur patterns. It had white markings running along its muscular black body, and the jewel on Sounox's forehead had now evolved into crystals that ran along its forearms and shins and added a glimmer to its thick mane.

"Use Stone Edge!"

It did, but Maskoon just barely managed to roll out of the way! Maskoon countered with the Fairy-type attack Dazzling Gleam that it had learned during the battle that made it evolve! It was super effective on Astunine, but Astunine didn't faint. It was left with about a quarter of its health, and with that quarter it used Stealth Rock again! Rocks shot out of the concrete and jabbed into Maskoon. It fainted immediately!

Riley sent out Barksky! Rock- and Dark-type would be very, very weak to Barksky's Fighting-type Brick Break!

Using Brick Break, Barksky slammed its paw down on Astunine! It fainted!

"Go, my sidekick," Derreck called. "Racrook!"

The same species of Pokemon that Night Shadow had used was now facing against Riley. It was huge, muscular, and mysterious with its pure-white eyes and domino mask fur pattern. Dark- and Fighting-type... Riley didn't know how to counter it! Barksky was Ice- and Normal-type, which would have been double weak to Fighting-type. Riley switched to Flaradillo! The light from its Fire-type attacks would be super effective against Racrook's darkness!

"Racrook, use Aerial Ace!"

Riley had not expected that! Flaradillo would be weak to that Flying-type move! Thankfully, though, when the bipedal raccoon Pokemon used its skillful and fast moves on Flaradillo, the Fire-type Pokemon was left with a little health left. It used Flame Wheel, and it was super effective against Racrook's dark heart!

Riley withdrew Flaradillo, and Derreck withdrew Racrook at the same time! Derreck sent out a really scary and intimidating Pokemon, Spiritomb! This Spiritomb was different than the ones Riley had seen in books and heard about in stories, though. As opposed to being purple with green aura orbs, it was blue with purple aura orbs. But no matter, Riley was sure it would have the same single weakness just the same: Fairy-type!

He coaxed a revive into Maskoon's mouth, and the moment it ate it it jumped up, ready for action!

"Spiritomb, use Shadow Claw!"

It did, but it only did regular damage on Maskoon! Maskoon retaliated with Dazzling Gleam, and Spiritomb only narrowly survived! It used Dazzling Gleam once more! But Derreck withdrew Spiritomb! He sent out Racrook again! It was hit with Dazzling Gleam, but it was left still with a little bit of health left!

It ran up to Maskoon and used Vital Throw, tossing the Pokemon right off the rooftop! It hit the wall of another skyscraper and began falling down. Riley ran up to the edge of the rooftop, absolutely traumatized. He watched as Maskoon, now unconscious, hurtled toward the ground dozens of storeys below them!

But then a Pokemon whisked Maskoon up!

"Vekta!" the proud Corvekt called, ruffling its neck feathers as it dropped Maskoon into Riley's arms and perched itself on the railing that was meant to keep people from falling off the rooftop. It thrust its wooden sword into the concrete, so strongly that it wedged itself in there, and stuck its head into its wing to clean it.

It had familiar eyes. Could this have been the Crowtact that Riley had fought in the alleyway, only now evolved? It had the exact same eyes as that Crowtact. Riley gave the Pokemon a tight, loving hug, tears streaming from his eyes. The Pokemon looked shocked to have been hugged, its eyes wide and its pupils small, but it eventually accepted that it could not escape Riley's hug and wrapped its wing over the Pokemon Trainer's shoulder.

It scolded Racrook, waving its wing feathers in the Pokemon's face, and punished it by using Aerial Ace on it. Racrook had fainted, and it wasn't even one of Riley's Pokemon's doing!

Tears still streaming from his eyes and his breaths still shallow and choppy, he sent out Flaradillo again, holding Maskoon close to his heart, tight in his arms. He ordered Flaradillo to use Ember on the Spiritomb that had been sent out by Derreck, and it did! It launched the Fire-attack on Spiritomb and because it was weakened, the Ghost- and Dark-type Pokemon fainted!

"Then it's settled!" Derreck sighed, still red in the face from exerting himself. "Your third badge; I have it right here!" He gave Riley the Moon Badge, a black badge in the shape of a crescent moon. Riley pridefully pinned it to the strap of his messenger-style bag.

He felt as though he was emanating with light from all his pride! He could feel his head spinning with excitement! He had just won the Moon Badge! He was on the same level as Lilly now! He was one step closer to beating the Pokemon League! He was one step closer to-

"VEKT!" the Corvekt crowed, absolutely launching Riley out of his joyous trance.

Riley gasped, virtually hopping out of his shoes. What did Corvekt want?

It flapped down from the railing it was perched on and walked slowly towards Riley in a strutting fashion.

Did it want to join him? He asked it.

"Crekt!" it cawed, nodding.

Riley couldn't say no. He threw a PokeBall at Corvekt and it entered it without resistance. It was caught!

"Corvekt. Flying-type. The Tool-Using Pokemon. As far as bird-like Pokemon go, Corvekt are considered one of the first to use items as a method of attacking. They enlist the help of Skarmory to help them chop thick branches into sharp swords, and in return they build nests for the Skarmory to rest their eggs."


	17. Chapter 17

Pleased with his win, Riley made his way down the skyscraper and took another visit to the Pokemon Centre; reluctantly. Thankfully though, a more responsible Joy was on staff at the moment. "Hey there, I see you got the Moon Badge," she smiled. "Check out the PokeMart, there might be something new for you available now."

So Riley did. He scrolled through the catalog on the touch screen on the desk and found a handful of items with the word "New" next to their icon. They each looked like different colours of potions and had names like "antidote" and "awakening" on their icons. There was also a new type of Potion labelled Hyper Potion. He bought one of each of the bottles, and two of the Hyper Potions.

After that, he quickly checked out the PC. He was greeted by Sir Kit. "Hello, Riley!" the AI greeted. "Darwing is doing great! He's grown a liking to me. What would you like to do today?"

Riley put his finger on the "Deposit Pokemon" button.

"Depositing a Pokemon, huh? I'll take good care of it!"

Knowing Maskoon had been traumatized, Riley deemed that it would be safer if it were left in the Virtual Paradise with Sir Kit.

"Aww, what a cute Maskoon! Don't worry, I've got my eye on it!"

Riley smiled, relieved.

He sat down where he'd sat before and watched the Contest Palace feed. But then it was interrupted by an urgent news flash!

"A radical attack on Chinocko's Power Source Field could leave the region in a power crisis!" the news anchor claimed, calmly. On the screen was a picture of Team Delta Grunts standing i a rocky area that had black goo sitting in pools across it. Riley was entirely disgusted by the sight, but he knew that Team Delta were evil-doers and that he needed to take care of them! He got up and ran to the door-

Wait, his Pokemon!

He waited anxiously, his feet forcing his body to pace across the tiled floor while he was unable to stop them. When he heard the chime that his Pokemon had recovered, he immediately grabbed them, left Nurse Joy a small tip, and rushed out.

She sighed, looking confused and flustered, "What's he so excited about?"

He ran straight for the northern end of Eclisse City. Right next to where the Pokemon Gym was, there was an entrance to a subway. He'd recognized it from his visits to Derreck's Pokemon Gym beforehand.

He walked down the wide entrance. There were lights lining the trim of the walls and they changed through all the colours of the rainbow. The lights on the ceiling were a solid white, but they were bright enough that it almost felt like it was daytime.

Considering Eclisse City rarely experienced actual daytime, this would've been the closest many of them would have gotten. There was graffiti on the walls that showed words, phrases, and even some Pokemon.

Riley sat down on a comfortable, if not freezing cold chair, waiting for the subway to arrive. That's where he met Derreck, who was entering the subway right when Riley sat down. "Hello, son," he smiled. "This subway only travels to the Power Source Fields, you realize?"

Riley nodded, confirming. He knew, but he wanted to take it anyway.

"Are you sure you want to go there?" Derreck asked. "It's not the nicest of places. And besides, it's dangerous at the moment."

But the young Trainer was determined to fix whatever the evil Team Delta was doing. He train had finally arrived! It was a sleek, efficient model that had come from a manufacturer in the Kanto region.

They soon arrived at the exit, which was in the aforementioned Power Source Fields. Immediately upon stepping out of the subway, Riley gagged. The smell was gut-wrenching. How were the Team Delta Grunts planning to revolt in this stench?

Derreck followed Riley into the field. "You take care of the Grunts, alright?" Riley looked up to the tall, darkly-dressed man. "We partners, then?" In response, Riley nodded. He most definitely did want to be partners with Derreck! What would teaming up with Derreck be like? Could it possibly be like when Night Shadow had taken out three Team Delta Grunts with only his Racrook? Oh boy, that would be so cool!

Riley took the main path while Derreck walked down a side path.

That's when Riley encountered two Team Delta Grunts! One was a navy-haired young woman in her sleek, easily-worn Team Delta outfit, and the other was a boy around her age who had bleach blonde hair and wore his metal-covered super spy-style suit proudly.

"I joined this organization so I could help people and Pokemon," began the woman, "to live more naturally and healthfully."

"I joined because sometimes you have to destroy things to do the right thing," the boy said, his voice attractive and soft.

Riley didn't know what to think of their words, so he shrugged them off. They sent out their Pokemon! The young woman sent out a Ledyba, a cute Pokemon with spots on its back and six silly-looking stubby legs. Her partner, the young man, sent out Purrloin, a prideful and mischievous Pokemon that had migrated to Chinocko from the southward Unova region.

Riley sent out Barksky! Its Brick Break would be very strong on Purrloin's inner darkness! He also sent out Flaradillo, whose Fire-type attacks would be strong against Ledyba's exoskeletal body!

Flaradillo got the first move, using Flame Wheel on Ledyba! Ledyba fainted in only one hit as the heat overtook its body and forced into into painful submission.

"My poor Ledyba!" the Grunt shrieked, diving to catch her Ledyba before it hit the ground. She cradled it in her arms and proceeded to send out Ledian, the evolved form of Ledyba, a much more mature and strong ladybug Pokemon.

Purrloin used Purr, a move exclusive to Chinocko. Flaradillo was unaffected because its Fire typing was super effective against Purrloin's Dark typing, but Ledian and Barksky were both were both caught in the adorable purring.

The Normal-type Purr attack disabled Barksky from using Brick Break. In other words, it disabled a Pokemon whose typing wasn't super effective on Purrloin from using any super effective moves.

Riley ordered Barksky to use Brick Break, but the Pokemon was so entranced in the adorable, adorable little noise that it couldn't land its attack. Ledian used Bug Buzz, which sent Barksky into a confused state. It teetered on its paws, struggling to even keep itself standing.

Flaradillo used Ember, which shone light into Purrloin's sinful soul, making the attack super effective! Purrloin was unable to battle! Running out into the battlefield to feed Purrloin a Poffin, not knowing if he would have been injured, the male Team Delta Grunt recalled Purrloin, cuddling close to it and rubbing his cheek against its cheek. He sent out Liepard, who was a larger and more intimidating Dark-type cat Pokemon.

While Barksky was no longer disabled from using its Brick Break, it was still confused. Not able to see straight, it tripped over its paw and injured its knee! It cried out in pain!

Flaradillo was ordered to use Flame Wheel on Liepard, so it obeyed! Liepard only hed on with a minuscule fraction of health, but it had received a burn! The burn was enough to knock it unconscious, and the Team Delta boy called it back, picking up the rather large Pokemon in his hands and laying it down on a rock, petting its chin as it rested, trying to recover.

Ledian used Bug Buzz once more! While Flaradillo did take damage, it resisted becoming confused. Riley pet Barksky's behind, hoping it would come through for him. He asked it to use Ice Fang!

With struggle, it managed to waddle awkwardly over to Ledian. It encased its fangs in hard ice and chomped down. Ledian was down and out!

"No! We've lost!" the girl cried, letting both of her Pokemon rest their heads in her lap as they recovered.

"It's fine, my dear," reassured the Team Delta boy. "We tried our best, and our Pokemon did too. We can only thank our Pokemon for fighting so hard to protect us."

Riley proceeded. The Power Source Fields were a disgusting place. He wished he didn't have to be here, but he had to stop Team Delta. There was a tar pit that spanned the entire length of the area, almost like a river. All there was to cross it were some specialized boats and some bridges made out of chrome and gratings.

He crossed the bridge that was connected to the path he'd decided to take. He shoes made satisfying 'chank' sounds when they touched the metal surface. Standing in the middle of the bridge was another Team Delta Grunt. This one was a man, around Derreck's age, who looked a little odd as his uniform because it didn't fit him properly.

"Darn Float Stone..." grumbled the man, who was actually quite fat. "Why did I give it to my Pokemon instead of keeping it for myself?"

Riley walked up to him. He turned to Riley, his brow intense.

"You! I need a good workout! Battle me!"

Riley shrugged. He didn't really care, but if his Pokemon could get experience out of it, it was worth the battle.

"Alright! Go Munchlax!"

Munchlax, a blue Pokemon with a pudgy torso and a messy mouth, waddled onto the bridge. It managed to get the first move! It used Tackle!

Barksky, who had recovered from its confusion and gone into battle, just stared at it. Who kept the move Tackle for this long...?

Barksky used Brick Break, performing the move weakly as to not waste its energy. Munchlax fainted.

"Gah! I really didn't plan to get into any battles today!" the Team Delta Grunt groaned, his belly jiggling as he fell onto his behind in shock of losing.

There was a building on the other side of the river that was made out of the same chrome material as the bridge Riley'd just stepped off of. It was a cube and had a very industrial feel to it. But it was still a ways away. Riley had a bit more of a walk to go.

Just then, a Pokemon jumped out of one of the circular tar pits! It was a Poison- and Dragon-type Pokemon! "Britt!" it croaked. "Rawbbit!"

Riley knew that Dragons were weak to Ice, so he sent out Bluntooth! But Rawbbit managed to attack first! It used Toxic! The boils on its unpleasant, dirty green body began leaking a purple gas that was launched right into Bluntooth's nostrils!

It coughed and choked, but it was unavoidable. Bluntooth had been poisoned!

It tried making its move, but it didn't get the chance before Rawbbit called for help!

"Fing!" It was the Pokemon that answered the call! It was Koffing!

Bluntooth used Ice Beam! It hit Rawbbit right in its inflated air sac! The Pokemon nearly fainted, but it held on! That's when Bluntooth felt the effects of its poison. Riley quickly hurried to treat it with the Antidote he'd purchased! Was he ever glad to have bought that!

Koffing used Sludge Bomb, turning the gas from its body into a ball of poisonous goo and throwing it at Bluntooth! But the attack missed! Rawbbit took its turn next, using Poison Jab! It jabbed its stubby front leg into Bluntooth's sternum. Bluntooth took little damage, and resisted being poisoned again!

Bluntooth used Ice Fang on Rawbbit this time, causing it to faint! Koffing using Poison Beam, a move that had first been used by a Weezing in Chinocko merely two years prior and had gained huge popularity in the Pokemon kingdom.

Bluntooth resisted being poisoned, but after being hit by the dark-purple beam, it wasn't in the best place physically! Riley withdrew it!

He sent out Barksky, knowing that Poison-types were for whatever reason weak to Fighting-type attacks! Weezing tried to use Poison Beam again, but missed! Barksky used Brick Break, causing Koffing to faint and dissipate into the air!


	18. Chapter 18

Here it was! The industrial, chrome building that Riley had been heading towards. A group of the Power Source Fields' workers ran out as Riley approached the door. He knew this was going to be trouble!

He clenched his fist and proceeded, Barksky walking right beside him. The interior of the building was just as ugly as the exterior. There were huge drums of whatever the black substance from outside was. Was this how Chinocko got its mass electrical power?

Arceus, Riley hoped not.

There were Team Delta Grunts of all descriptions using their Pokemon to wreck the place. Some of them were using their Pokemon to break the pipes that were attached to the drums. One of them was even using a Ditto as a sort of sticky gum to prevent the contraptions that Riley assumed were used in processing the black goo from working.

There were Machamp stealing barrels of the substance, and there were lots and lots of Grimer and Muk, both from Chinocko and Alola, cleaning the substance up.

Riley walked through the disgusting main floor until he reached a stairwell. He walked in through the door and climbed up the stairwell until he reached an open door on the second-from-the-top floor.

It lead onto a patio that also happened to be the roof of this section of the building. There was someone waiting here for Riley! Night Shadow!

"Riley, huh? I expected to see you here, so I broke down the door that leads onto this patio," Night Shadow exclaimed with confidence. "I'll see you on the top floor!"

With that, Night Shadow made a huge leap up the side of the building. There were two more floor for Riley to climb up, but each of those floors was connected to this patio, so he would just climb up, right?

Wrong. "Yo loser!" called a Team Delta girl. She had long, pink hair that totally clashed with her Team Delta uniform, but she didn't seem to care. Her Team Delta jacket was also not as zipped-up as it should have been.

"My Toxock team is gonna take you right down!" she claimed. "Right down to the small town! Like, New Moon Town small!"

Riley couldn't turn down a battle! But he immediately questioned what was up with this Grunt when he saw her team. It was entirely made up of Toxock!

If only Riley had Maskoon or Darwing on his team at the moment. Darwing's Water attacks and Maskoon's Leaf Blade would be great for this battle! Then, one of the PokeBalls in his belt started shaking! It was Corvekt's!

"Vekta!" it cawed. It spun its wooden sword on the tip of its beak, then caught it and struck a dramatic fighting pose! That's it! Corvekt might know a Grass-type move because its sword was made of wood!

Team Delta Grunt Hāṛa sent out three Toxock at once! One in its Igneous Form, one in its Sedimentary Form, and the third in its Metamorphic Form!

The Sedimentary Toxock used Earthquake, a Ground-type attack, but absolutely none of the Pokemon on the field were affected by it because Corvekt was Flying-type and the Toxock all were levitating.

"..." was the reaction of Riley, Corvekt, Hāṛa, and the other two Toxock. The Sedimentary Toxock just stayed levitating as if it hadn't even made a mistake.

The Metamorphic Toxock made its move next! It used Poison Beam! Corvekt was hit, but not poisoned!

Then, it was Corvekt's turn! It used Leaf Blade! Its wooden broadsword glowed green as it sprouted flowers and leaves. Corvekt flapped its way over to Sedimentary Toxock and it slashed its green sword across its body! Sedimentary Toxock was down!

Team Delta Grunt Hāṛa sent out Igneous Toxock to replace it!

The first Igneous Toxock used Flamethrower! But it missed! Corvekt had dodged it!

Metamorphic Toxock was up next! It used Iron Defense! It created an iron shield around itself!

Corvekt used Leaf Blade on it, too! It did regular damage and depleted about half of Toxock's health.

The Igneous Toxock that had just been sent out used Ember! But it was not very effective! Corvekt brushed it off like it was no more than a scrape. It cleaned off the burn mark on its wing with its beak, not wanting to be blemished.

The other Igneous Toxock used Flamethrower, but its attack missed!

Corvekt managed to make its attack before any of the others! It used Leaf Blade on the Metamorphic Toxock, and it fainted!

The two Igneous Toxock both used Flamethrower at the same time! Their Flamethrower jets merged into one extra-powerful Flamethrower and engulfed Corvekt! It was certainly getting low on health after that critical hit to its body!

Riley used one of the Hyper Potions he had purchased. Corvekt had been completely healed!

Team Delta Grunt Hāṛa had a Sedimentary Toxock, Rock- and Ground-type! It used Sand Attack, but its attack did no damage to Corvekt.

Corvekt used Fly, flying high above the battlefield where none of the Toxock could reach with their attacks! It nosedived down and crashed into one of the Igneous Toxock with its wooden sword!

A critical hit! Toxock fainted!

The remaining Igneous Toxock used Protect, but it was the end of the attack cycle so it was effectively useless.

The Grunt sent out a Metamorphic Toxock to replace the fainted Igneous one! It made its move, using Protect!

Igneous Toxock used Ember, which did very little damage to the large-chest bird Pokemon.

Sedimentary Toxock attacked next! It used Rock Slide! The rocks falling from the sky were super effective on Corvekt, and it quickly fell into critical status! Everyone on the field, human and Pokemon alike, including Corvekt, cheered for the Sedimentary Toxock. Who would've known it would actually know to use a move that would do damage to Corvekt! And a super effective one at that!

But Corvekt already knew that it had to attack it! He readied his blade in his beak as it glowed green, slashing it into Toxock's rocky shell. It was super effective, causing the Sedimentary Toxock to faint!

Time for the next cycle of attacks, with there being no other Toxock to replace the one that had just fainted! Corvekt landed its attack first, using Leaf Blade on Metamorphic Toxock! It landed a critical hit, and the Metamorphic Pokemon fainted!

Igneous Toxock used Ember, but even in its weakened state, Corvekt was damaged very little by it. However, it was weak enough that the Fire-type attack left it with only a sliver of health left.

Before the Toxock could attack again, Corvekt used Leaf Blade! Another critical hit! How incredibly lucky! And it was so powerful that Igneous Toxock fainted!

"Eek!" Hāṛa squeaked. "Okay, at least admit that that was a really close battle!"

Riley used his last remaining Hyper Potion on Corvekt. He pet its head and fed it not one, not two, but three Poffins for its incredible performance on the battlefield! Corvekt cooed as Riley rubbed its feathery body all over.

Hāṛa also pet her Pokemon, though she was crying from a loss of confidence that her team was beaten with only one Pokemon.

Riley proceeded. The stairs were made out of the same metal as the other things around here. He climbed up them. He was thankful to see that the rooftop of the above floor had no trainers on it. The young Pokemon Trainer crossed the bridge-like pathway that lead from the stairs to the opposite side of the building. There was a PokeBall sitting on the ground there. He picked it up and pressed the button on it, but there was no Pokemon inside.

A holographic projection popped out instead. On it was a yellow star-shaped item, and below was a description of it. "Max Revive. An item to be swallowed by a Pokemon that is unable to battle. It will not only revive the Pokemon, but bring it to full health."

Riley took the item out of the ball, wondering what had just happened. That's when Derreck came up behind Riley.

"I think you just found a PokeCache," the businessman smiled. "A PokeCache is an item that's been left in a PokeBall-shaped capsule for wanderers to find. Here," he said, handing an item to Riley. "This is a Dowsing Machine. It's built specifically to find PokeCaches.

"You can also register your own items into PokeCache Capsules for people to look for them. It's a popular trend in Chinocko." The Dowsing Machine looked like Riley's PokeDex, but it was white and blue, not red and blue. "I hope you enjoy PokeCaching in the future. I wish I could help you take on Team Delta's Leader, but I've got to take care of the chaos downstairs. I'm sure you'll find help from someone else!"

He entered the door at the top floor, walking in on a man who was inspecting a computer with a gigantic screen while his Pokemon, a Pikachu and a Pokemon that looked to be the evolved form of Rawbbit, worked on messing up circuits and cameras.

It was fairly dark, but there were lights pulsing through a glass light strand that was attached to a huge drum of raw, bolt-style electricity.

The man, who was not older than his late-twenties, got up from his seat at the computer desk and turned around. He had a helmet over his face that made him completely anonymous. "Hello, Trainer. I am the Leader of Team Delta."

He had a mechanical gauntlet over his hand similar to his male Grunts', a black trench coat over his shoulder, a shirt like Riley's, and baggy, ripped jeans that were too big for his legs. He had high-tech-looking boots that had functioning gears on the ankles and lime-green light flowing through circuits along them.

There was a Team Delta insignia on the lapel of his trench coat, and also one on an earpiece extension from his helmet that projected a cyan screen over where his eyes would be had they not been hidden by the helmet's metal.

The only thing Riley could tell was that this character's neck was the same skin tone as his own, for the rest of his skin was hidden. This man also had an intimidating armour-style shoulder plate over his right shoulder.

"You probably see us as evil, no...?" he questioned.

Riley nodded, and clenched his fist. Team Delta was evil. ...Right?

"It would figure," the man behind the helmet sneered. "I thought there was more to you, but you're just like everyone is in this damn wasteful region."

Riley gasped as he heard a door slam behind him! Not three, but five Team Delta Grunts burst in, two of them girls, three of them boys, each boy with pitch-black hair.

Riley didn't know if he could take all of them! But just then!

CRASH!

A hole was smashed through the chrome ceiling as a familiar figure jumped into the hall. It was Night Shadow! "Riley!" he yelled. "Take care of their Leader! I'll take care of the Grunts!"

"Croo-cook!" Racrook called, determined!

"Rskyyyyy!" Barksky howled as Riley's head began spinning with stress.

"Pikachu, attack!" Team Delta Leader's Pikachu stopped drawing power out of the Power Plant's circuit board and hopped into the battlefield! It was glowing yellow with electricity as if it had been filled with Z-Power!

"Chuu!" it screeched, scratching in Barksky's direction, its maple leaf flapping in the electricity as if it were in wind.

"Bark!" Barksky barked.

"Use Thunder!" Team Delta Leader called out!

Pikachu used the power it had stolen from the Power Plant and released it in a ginormous electrical storm that knock Barksky out in one hit!

Riley gasped! That Pikachu was so strong! He sent out Bluntooth, hoping for a kiss of mercy and/or luck.

And it came! Team Delta Leader recalled Pikachu and sent out Maskalmon, a Pokemon that Riley hadn't encountered in a while, despite being so common. "Maskalmon, use Hydro Pump!"

It tried to shoot its incredibly strong jet of water at Bluntooth, but the feline Pokemon dodged it!

Bluntooth attacked Maskalmon with Superpower, and it landed a critical hit, the fishy Pokemon fainting in only one hit!

"Roarbit, help!"

The frog Pokemon that resembled Rawbbit jumped into battle. It immediately used Dragon Pulse, landing a strong attack on Bluntooth. It roared (or rather ribbitted loudly) and an intimidating dragon made out of purple aura surrounded it. The aura dragon chomped down on the tiny feline Pokemon, but despite looking so powerful, it did little damage to Bluntooth because of its Ice typing!

Bluntooth used Ice Beam, and Roarbit was reduced to half of its health! Roarbit attacked again, using Dragon Claw! Bluntooth was left with a fraction of its health left, but it still had enough to deliver another Ice Beam, making Roarbit faint! Bluntooth meowed triumphantly and struck a cute, but victorious pose.

"Urgh...!" Team Delta Leader grunted, not knowing what now to do. "Go Fractiamond!"

A small snowflake-like Pokemon that had a diamond-shaped body with two triangular green eyes and two triangular holes in the bottom of its body that had a shiny, white surface was sent out. It had three much smaller diamond-shaped body parts floating in the air, spinning around in a circle to the creatures top-right. To its top-left, a triangular protrusion like those on its top, left side, right side, and bottom. It had one diamond body part floating in the air to its bottom-right, as well as its bottom-left.

Riley switched Bluntooth out to Flaradillo! Flaradillo used Flame Wheel, but Fractiamond had just used Protect, and so it did no damage! It tried using Flame Wheel once more, but it did no damage to Fractiamond again because the Pokemon had use Protect!

Finally, Flaradillo switched it up and used Ember! Fractiamond tried to use Protect, but its attempt failed! It was hit by Ember and fainted!

Team Delta Leader finally sent out Pikachu! "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's Electric-type thunderbolt struck Flaradillo right in its stomach. It was reduced to a fraction of its health! It used Flame Wheel, ramming its shell-covered body into Pikachu in the form of a wheel, but even then the Pikachu had only lost about a quarter of its health! It used Thunderbolt once more, and Flaradillo couldn't survive the attack!

Riley was stressed out. He didn't have many more options. Bluntooth and Corvekt were his only remaining Pokemon, and Corvekt would be weak to Pikachu Electric-type attacks! He switched out to Bluntooth!

Bluntooth used Ice Beam, and it hit Pikachu right in the nose! But Pikachu took it as if it were no more than a punch! Pikachu used Iron Tail. It wasn't powered up by its electrical surge, but it was super effective on Bluntooth's Ice typing, and Bluntooth was knocked out!

Riley only had one more Pokemon he could turn to! "Vekt!?" Corvekt shrieked, terrified by Pikachu. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but by a miracle Corvekt dodged it! Corvekt used Leaf Blade, an attack that would be super effective on Pikachu because wood insulates electricity!

Pikachu took a lot of damage from it, but Team Delta Leader used a Hyper Potion on Pikachu, restoring it right back to full health! What could Riley do now!?


	19. Chapter 19

That's when Riley remembered his Max Revive! He took it out of his organized bag and fed it to Flaradillo. Flaradillo jumped up, pumped and ready to do battle! It took Corvekt's place. Pikachu used Iron Tail, but Flaradillo dodged! Flaradillo used Flame Wheel and landed a critical hit on Pikachu, reducing it to half of its health.

Pikachu used Thunder, creating a giant storm that nearly knocked out Flaradillo! If not for its great desire to protect and serve its Trainer, it would have fainted! But it held on! It used Fire Fang, and Pikachu was reduced to a quarter of its health thanks to a critical hit!

Corvekt took Flaradillo's spot, nodding its head in honour at the Pokemon. It slashed its wooden broadsword across Pikachu's stomach, and Pikachu took so much damage that it fainted! Team Delta's Leader had been defeated!

"You may have beaten me in a Pokemon battle, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up!" Team Delta's Leader growled. "My efforts to preserve this world for Pokemon and people to continue living will not be ended. The alternative is too dire." He let out a sigh. "We will prevail, and don't you even question it."

With that, Team Delta peacefully left the occupied area, though the chaotic mess they'd made still remained. It would take months to fix all this. Lilly came running up the stairs, meeting Riley and Night Shadow on the widest balcony, the one right outside the stairwell.

"Riley," she panted. "I was exploring the desert when I'd gotten news of this event with Team Delta! I came running to help, but the desert is so big I couldn't get here in time, apparently."

"No worries," began Night Shadow. "You made the effort, and that's what really counts. If you'll both excuse me, I have other things to attend to."

Night Shadow jumped off the balcony, hitting the rocky ground below without as much as even flinching. He continued making huge jumps, his Racrook following just a second behind him.

Lilly turned to Riley, then started, "I'll be in the Contest Palace. I feel like doing more Pokemon Contests! I'll see you later, then, Riley! Best of luck getting to wherever it is you want to go for your next Gym Battle."

Riley smiled and waved her off. Just as she was out of sight, Riley got a call on his PokeVice. He answered it. Professor Maple's face appeared as a holographic projection. She was smiling, "Hey Riley, Lilly. I want you to meet me in Tempura Forest for a bit of a mission in helping Pokemon. I'll explain more when you're here! See you soon! That's all, thanks! Bye-bye!"

Riley headed back onto the subway train. He boarded the train back to Eclisse City, and once he was there he went immediately to the tram station. He ordered himself a tram ticket, took the tram down, observed the stunning view of the canyon, and got off at the lower station in Dinohlr Town.

He stopped at the Pokemon Centre, where he not only healed his Pokemon but also retrieved Darwing. Going into the desert, since Lilly had confirmed the sandstorm had lifted, it would be good to take a Water-type with him. He smiled at Nurse Joy and retrieved his five Pokemon.

Now that the sandstorm was gone, Riley could see so much farther. From Sherrow City, it wasn't as easy to spot since there was a long road between it and the desert. But from Dinohlr Town, it was visible from the border of town. Riley sighed and straightened his posture. Darwing perched itself on his shoulder and dug its feet into the sash of his bag, uncomfortable having its feet exposed.

Right at the entrance of the desert, Riley saw a Pokemon! It was a big, yellow cat with black metal over its ears and on the tip of its tail, like a caracal. "Lynk!" it meowed, spotting Riley and lowering its torso in preparation for battle.

"Number 22, Lynk. Electric-type. The Lynx Pokèmon. The metallic surfaces on their ears, back, and tail, each generate electricity. That electricity can then be stored, or released, however, it can only be stored so much before it begins to hurt the Lynk. They're fantastic at jumping and running, and are the top predators in many of their habitats. Their claws can use the electricity they generate to easily fry their prey's flesh before they even eat it."

An Electric-type!? In the desert!? Riley didn't know what to do! Darwing would be weak. So would Corvekt. None of his Pokemon knew Ground-type moves! Riley really wished he had a Stoath that could use Dig.

He tried avoiding the Lynk, but it was hot on his trail. He simply wasn't fit to fight it... There! Near a cactus! Another form of Darwing! It Subterrain Form! A Ground-type Pokemon!

If he could catch that Pokemon before Lynk engaged him in a battle...!

No! The Lynk pounced! Riley sent out Barksky, not knowing who else to use against it! Barksky used Brick Break, but it did little damage to Lynk. Lynk used Discharge! It discharged a field of electricity around its body that damaged Barksky, and nearly got Riley himself!

The Darwing's attention was caught! It dragged its heavy claw-bearing wings alongside it as they dragged like long sleeves of a robe. This form of Darwing had a regal nature to it. It stood next to Lynk, joining the battle! It used Dig! The grounded bird used its wings to shovel out a tunnel underneath the sand, and popped out right underneath Barksky, scratching it with its claws!

Riley ordered Barksky to use Brick Break again, this time on Darwing! It wound up its hind legs and kicked off into a backflip, smashing into Darwing's head with its powerful kick. Wow, that was a new way of using Brick Break! Darwing, being part Rock-type, nearly fainted. Riley used this opportunity to throw a Great Ball!

1 shake... 2 shakes... 3 shakes...! Riley had miraculously been able to capture Subterrain Darwing!

Right in the nick of time, too! Lynk used Discharge again, and it hit Barksky, bringing it into critical condition! Riley switched him out the second he saw his beloved Pokemon's body seize up in electric shock-induced paralysis!

He sent out Subterrain Darwing, who he'd miraculously just caught! He had it use Dig! It dug under the ground with its strong claw-studded wings. It dodged Lynk, who tried to use Scratch on the lump in the sand that Darwing ad created, then struck! It was super effective! Lynk fainted!

Riley wiped his forehead. It was sweating from both the heat of the desert sun and the stress of his encounter with Lynk. He took off his hat and stuffed it with the utmost respect and care into his waist-level bag. He proceeded on, exploring the sandy dunes and rocky rises of Osuyasa Desert with care not to hurt himself or any of the Pokemon that were residing here.

A girl with short, messy-cut black hair sat on the edge of a rocky cliff. Riley noticed her, but he thought he could walk underneath the cliff and avoid her field of view. He was wrong. "Hey!" she shouted. "Don't be a lame-o and battle me! I'm practically dying in the heat up here!"

Riley sighed, his entire body slouching as he did not want to battle. But it was the rules that he had to battle now that he'd been spotted. The girl had dark eyes and pale skin. Her outfit was a studded jacket- also black- and ripped jean shorts that were way too revealing to be considered "shorts."

"Maskalmon! You're out!" she shouted.

Maskalmon!? Riley didn't expect to see one of them in the desert! He sent out Corvekt, who he would have use Leaf Blade.

Maskalmon used Surf, whipping up a wave that rammed into Corvekt. When the bird got back up from its fall, it made its blade bloom with greenery, before swinging it at the Maskalmon and doing enough damage to take it down in one it!

The Punk Girl next sent out Lumbeaver, a Pokemon Riley had seen before but never battled against. They were common in moist forests like Tempura Forest and Route 2, and also Route 1. He pointed his PokeDex at it to find out what it had to say about this common Pokemon.

"Number 2, Lumbeaver. Water- and Grass-type. The Beaver Pokèmon. Lumbeaver are especially good at cutting things. Their large tails allow them to pat mud into place, which allows them to build structures from tree branches and mud. Many of the bridges on Route 2, and the dams at the base of Charm Mountain are actually the work of Lumbeaver. They spend their lives creating wooden armour that they use when they evolve."

Riley did't know what to use here. What was Water weak to that Grass was also weak to? Water was weak to Electric-type, but Grass resisted it. Grass was weak to Fire, but Water wasn't.

He'd use Corvekt's Fly, a move that would be super effective on Lumbeaver's Grass typing! And it did, managing to sneak in the first move! It flew up way too high for Lumbeaver to attack. The mammal Pokemon used Cut, but its attack missed Corvekt, who was high in the dusty sky!

Corvekt nosedived, drilling its beak into Lumbeaver, causing it to faint!

"Gah! Last Pokemon, time to go for broke!" the Punk Girl, who hadn't said her name, yelped, clearly desperate.

She sent out Worrum, the worm-like Pokemon that was extremely common all around the world. It screeched, opening its mouth and revealing its hidden eye as the oddly calm sound bellowed out. "Use Iron Tail!"

Worrum was about 90% tail, so it hardened its body and slammed itself against Corvekt's head. Hitting it right on the temple, it landed a critical hit! Riley had to switch out Corvekt to avoid it falling into risky territory!

He sent out Flaradillo, who he ordered to use Flame Wheel! It was super effective on Worrum's Bug typing, and the Pokemon fainted. The girl sitting on the cliff edge looked devastated to have lost.

She inched herself closer to the edge, whimpering. Soon, she would fall! Then she slipped and fell straight down!


	20. Chapter 20

Riley ran forward, hoping he could catch the Punk Girl. But all of his worry was for naught. She landed comfortably in the sand and started making sand-angels. "I've really got to let go of all my stress and see the good things in life again," she sighed with confidence.

Riley sighed. He, too, let go of his stress. He climbed up the rock face that the girl had been sitting on. There was a strange-looking sight on the top of the rock face. There was a natural rock wall, but there was no way Riley could scale it himself. He was upset about it. What was hiding up there that was making him so curious? He punched the cliff with his fist and immediately regretted it. Yowch!

Next to where the girl had been sitting was a PokeBall. Or maybe it as a PokeCache Capsule? Riley opened it to see what it was. It turned out to be a Darwing feather. Odd. He decided to climb back down the sloped rock and talk to the girl.

"Oh that?" she said, looking up at Riley from the towel she'd set up in the sand. The sun was setting and it left a beautiful orange glow in the desert sky. The murderous heat calmed down, now relieving Riley with a comfortable, dry chill. He observed many of the Pokemon that had been wandering the sands scurrying back to their nests, dens, and whatnot as the sun set and the moon rose. Too, he observed that a handful of other Pokemon replaced them, these ones seemingly nocturnal.

"That's just an old feather that fell off one of the birds around here. It's useless to me, but I figured someone'd like it. Hey, I have a friend-"

Riley knew where this was going. There was no way he was keeping that feather as a decoration.

"She's a Schoolgirl, all obedient and stuff," the good-hearted Punk Girl explained. "She lives in Sherrow City, which isn't far from here. She works in the Ice Rink's Box Office. She'd like it. Could you deliver it for me?"

Riley agreed. He now had a side-mission! Who knows, maybe he'd get something out of it. And he wasn't greedy enough to turn down someone in need anyway. He went off in the direction of Sherrow City. But not without a nocturnal Pokemon encounter! This Pokemon was a wolf-like Pokemon with intimidating red eyes. It had sharp stones in its body in many places.

"Roc-ly!" it roared, moving its hair out of its eye and bearing its sharp teeth at Riley.

"Vekt-cor!" Corvekt cawed, readying itself. It charged up its Leaf Blade at the same time the opposing Lycanroc used Shadow Claw! The attacks collided, and the Pokemon kept trying to strike each other, each attack being blocked! Until Corvekt landed its sword, striking Lycanroc in its rock-covered ribs, and causing it to nearly faint! But it still had some vigor left in it! It reared its back up while charging Chomp!

It pounced on Corvekt and chomped its teeth down hard on its wings, ripping off several of its feathers! Corvekt screamed in pain, but attacked back! It used Aerial Ace, landing a direct hit on Lycanroc's skull! And Lycanroc was down!

"Ola, trainer," said a fellow Pokemon Trainer. This one wore a vest and stained short-shorts. She was stylish, even when forced to wear a Breeder uniform. Underneath her denim vest, which had a PokeBall design on it with "Certified Pokemon Breeder" in lettering too small to be read unless your eye were directly contacting it, she wore a stained white t-shirt that was the same as Riley's, only in a female fit.

Her skin was tanned and her hair was platinum blonde. It was an odd juxtaposition, but Riley wasn't the kind to judge. She had a PokeBall in her hand, and one sitting in a basket of berries that she had.

"I'm Maria. Believe it or not, the cacti in the Osuyasa area produce berries sometimes. Because of how they're grown, I find my Pokemon love the taste of them more than other berries. Wanna see?"

Before waiting for an answer, she sent out her Pokemon! It flopped around on the ground, unable to do anything but that. "Kar-arp." it chirped.

Riley sent out Corvekt. The corvid-like Pokemon prepared for battle and-

Splash.

The Magikarp splashed the sand around it up into the air, doing absolutely nothing.

Corvekt took mercy on it, using its Leaf Blade lightly as to not overpower the Pokemon. Magikarp, as to be expected, fainted.

"No! It's okay, Magikarp! Here, have a berry while you recover!" Pokemon Breeder Maria smiled, giving her Pokemon a berry as she'd promised. She picked the PokeBall out of the berry basket and threw it onto the battlefield.

The Pokemon that came out was Voltorb. It rolled around a bit, trying to find its balance on its fully-spherical body. It did. Corvekt used Aerial Ace, but it wasn't very effective! Voltorb held on long enough to use Self Destruct!

Its body burst into flames, the blast hitting Corvekt and causing it to faint! But still, when the smoke cleared, Voltorb had held on through the attack. "Thank Arceus for Ursa Berries, ha!" she laughed, almost in a mocking fashion at Riley. "They allow a Pokemon that has a self-destructing move to survive it with only a sliver of health! You planning on making a comeback, kiddo?"

He was! He sent out Subterrain Darwing, who used Earth Power! Underneath the Voltorb, rock and magma shot up! Voltorb fainted!

"Darn... I guess you were planning on making a comeback..." she sighed, discouraged, burying her face in her fingerless gloves. "Here's your prize money."

It was the most prize money Riley had received from a Pokemon Trainer yet! Not counting the Gym Leaders, who were entirely too generous. Riley's face was beaming when he saw how much money had been put in his hand.

"Here, I'll give you access to this cactus. It's still got a bunch of great berries on it! Oh, and have this." Her frown turned upside down as she handed Riley a small red and gold berry that had a glimmer to it. "It's an Ursa Berry. It's a single-use item that a Pokemon can hold. If that Pokemon uses a self-destructing move, it will survive with only a sliver of health left. However, the Pokemon League deems that you can only have one Pokemon on your team hold it at a time."

She gave him another berry, as well. "This is a Shuca Berry. It will be helpful in the desert, because a Pokemon holding it will be able to withstand 50% more of a super effective Ground-type move than usual."

Riley proceeded to Sherrow City. There was a long, winding canyon path between the wide-open Osuyasa Desert and Sherrow City. There were no wild Pokemon on this section of the desert, but there was a trainer.

"Hey!" they shouted, gaining Riley's attention. "I'll bet you you're not gonna beat me!" It was a hiker girl! Riley waved. He'd take her on, sure.

"Then it's a battle we've got! Go Ninjask, and Shedinja!"

Both Pokemon looked similar. One, Ninjask, was a large cicada-like Pokemon that had glaring red eyes and a black underside with fast-flapping white and red wings and a gold backside. The other Pokemon, Shedinja, looked very similar to its partner, only it had skeletal eyes and a halo above its head, its wings dried out and stuck bonily to its back.

Riley sent out Flaradillo and Bluntooth. Flaradillo used Flame Wheel on Ninjask! But the speedy Pokemon dodged the attack!

Bluntooth used Ice Beam, hitting it right in its face! But it took absolutely no damage. Riley gasped, as did Bluntooth!

Ninjask used Aerial Ace! It was super effective on Flaradillo, causing it to faint! Riley clenched his fist, stress setting in.

Shedinja used Shadow Ball! It spun itself around, and out of a gaping hole in its back, black liquid dripped out. The ectoplasmic fluid formed a ball, and Shedinja turned around again, pushing it with its forehead towards Bluntooth, who had been critically hit by it!

Riley sent out Darwing's Muddyfoot form. It planted its feet in a layer of mud on the rocky ground and stretched its back, ruffling its neck feathers. Riley had it use Air Slash on Ninjask! It was super effective, and the Ninjask's wings stopped flapping, making it drop straight downward. The hiker girl withdrew it before it could collide with the rocky ground.

"Bluntooth!" cried the Pokemon with that name. It was stressed out by how low on vigor it was. "Tooth!" it whimpered. It used Superpower, but as it went to attack Shedinja, the Pokemon just went invisible, and the feline Pokemon slipped right through it!

The opposing insect used Leech Life. It bit into Bluntooth and sucked its blood. The little orange creature couldn't handle the attack, and fainted.

"Wiiiiiing!" Darwing practically screamed. It glared at Shedinja. It would take it down itself, if it was going to be that way! It flapped its wings, building up force, then slashed them forward! The momentum from the motion caused the force to rip through the air! Air Slash! It hit Shedinja, and the Pokemon immediately disintegrated, returning to its PokeBall as a flurry of dust.

Her jaw dropped. "Oh..." Her bag also dropped. "You figured out my strategy, I guess..."

Riley smiled, pumping his fist across his chest. He adjusted his bandanna as if it were a tie, then recalled Darwing, who was still ripe with vengeful anger.

"Here." The dazed hiker dropped a handful of money into Riley's hand. She straightened her posture, stomped her foot down, and pumped her gloved fist to the side. "As Polleniah's song goes," she began. "Time to shed my old skin and show the world what's really inside!"

He walked through the Entrance Gate of Sherrow City. He was actually quite surprised it could afford to keep one, since it wasn't one of the biggest cities is Chinocko. He made his first stop at the Pokemon Centre. He smiled at an ice cream truck that was sitting outside the irregularly-large Pokemon Centre building as he went inside. He gave Nurse Joy his Pokemon to heal. "Hey again, Riley. That was your name, right? How are you?"

He did answer, but she continued talking anyway.

"Good, good," she smiled. "Yeah, it's been slow lately. Guess that means people aren't working their Pokemon as hard! Which is totally a good thing!"

Riley smiled. It was a good thing.

"Here are your Pokemon back, dear." Nurse Joy handed Riley his six PokeBalls. He immediately went to put two of them in the Virtual Paradise. He deposited both Darwing. Raising six Pokemon was just too much for him at this point in his adventure. He would keep more Pokemon on his team in the future, but he just couldn't take care of so many with his current experience.

He stopped by the Ice Rink, and talked to the girl in the Box Office. "Yeah? Hey there," she waved.

He showed her the Darwing Feather.

"Ah! It's beautiful! It's a Subterrain Darwing, right? Those are only found in the desert! Can I keep this?"

She seemed knowledgeable of the feather's origin. Riley would let her keep it.

"Oh thank you, tank you!" she grinned, holding the feather close to her heart. "Here," she said, holding out an egg-shaped, prickly object. "It's a Painted Pineco. Don't worry, it's not live. When Pineco evolve, they leave exoskeletons behind. It's a traditional to paint these leftover skeletons. If you could deliver it to someone, I'd like that."

Riley shifted his weight, urging her to tell him where she wanted him to go. "I'd deliver it myself, you see, but I'm stuck in this glass box. I need it delivered to Sandra. I used to babysit her, and I wanted to send her a gift for her birthday, but it's now too late for that. Thank you!"

...

Sandra? All the way in Suncoast City? This delivery would have to wait.

"Hey Riley!" smiled Lillie, the white rose. "Have this."

It was a grey PokeBall that looked like it would fit perfectly in the Pokemon Caller. She popped it inside RIley's Pokemon Caller and it clicked into place.

"It's a Ferrothorn that can use Ferrothorn Elevator. With it, you can scale tricky rock walls. Oh, me? I just got here. I took the plane back to Vancine City, then walked here." She hopped on her heels. "Guess what! Me and Saturnius got our first Gym Badge, and it was the Hourglass Badge! With it, we can ride planes for free!"

Riley smiled. "Consider this my gift of gratitude for protecting me back in Eclisse City. And..." But after that, Lillie started mumbling, unable to get her words right. "I'll see you later, then," she grinned, waving goodbye. And then Riley watched Lillie walk in the direction of Osuyasa Desert. Gosh, he hoped she'd be safe if she got into any more trouble.

He headed into Tempura Forest and looked at the pond in the middle of the path. On the other side of it, there was a trail that he couldn't pass before because he lacked Lapras, or a Pokemon Caller at all for that matter. He sent Lapras out onto the still pond waters and hopped on her back. Immediately, he was spotted by a trainer who was sitting on a rock on a tiny island in the middle of the pond.

"Heya!" they shouted with a bit of a street-type slang. "How'ya doin'!?"

Riley put his thumb up. He was alright.

"Alriiiiiight!" the super enthusiastic forest goer exclaimed. "Let's have a great battle!"

He knew it. Riley knew that was where this was going. Challenge accepted!

"Go Whirlpearl!" the Photographer shouted, sending a PokeBall into the clear waters. When the Pokemon came out, a whirlpool immediately surrounded it, and everything in the pond was pulled towards it! Riley jumped back onto the land, then sent out Corvekt! He pointed his PokeDex at the aforementioned Whirlpearl.

"Whirlpearl. The Seashell Pokemon. Water- and Rock-type. This Pokémon protects a large pearl with its life. Found only in the saltiest waters, Whirlpearl can use its pearl to summon vicious whirlpools and water cyclones to defend itself. Despite being so small, sailors have told stories of them for generations."

Geez, even if it was really tiny, it was really intimidating! Corvekt tried to use Leaf Blade, but Whirlpearl had used Protect! It was undamagable inside its hard shell!

Whirlpool was deep black. It had what sort of looked like a keyhole on its upper lip that made it look like a treasure chest when its shell was shut. When it was open, there was a huge, white pearl inside as well as an intimidating face with large, triangular teeth and pointed eyes on the underside of the top shell.

It used Whirlpool! Its pearl glowed brightly as it summoned the water of the pond to attack Corvekt. The black bird had been caught in the whirlpool, and was being pulled toward its center! It was encased by the water as Whirlpearl rapidly attacked it. Corvekt flew out of the water, significantly damaged.

But it was the bird's turn to attack! It slashed its Leaf Blade into the water and the vines slithered around through the pond until they found Whirlpearl. Then, they slashed it like they were claws and retracted back into Corvekt's sword.

But Whirlpearl survived! It used Aqua Ring, and it used the clear waters around it to heal a little bit of the damage it had taken. Meanwhile, Corvekt was already charging its next Leaf Blade! It flew over the water, its sword in its beak and dipped deep into the water. The green-glowing wooden sword collided with Whirlpearl, causing it to faint!

"Aw man!" the Photographer grunted, slumping his shoulders over as he looked down through his sitting knees at the water below him, seeing his reflection. "I been beaten. But I'm still doin' alright. Right?"

Riley proceeded. He hopped off Lapras at the other side of the pond and was relieved to see there were no other trainers. But there was no Professor Maple either. Where was she? Well, there was a rock wall. Ferrothorn Elevator would help him explore Tempura Forest more.

He sent out Ferrothorn, a huge iron Pokemon with barbed vines that it used to grab things and to move with. It stuck the vines to the rock wall, making sure its body stayed horizontal so Riley could climb on. The Trainer did, and they began climbing directly upwards.

"Oh!" gasped some woman in a black coat. "It's you! Good!"

Ah, now that Riley's mind had a chance to process the situation, he saw that it was Professor Maple. So this is where she was. "It's good that you're here," she smiled, swiping her finger across her tablet. "As promised, I'll explain why I had you come here.

"There's a Pokemon in this area called Rawbbit. It's an invasive species of Pokemon that is large enough to feed on many of the Pokemon in this area. And those it cannot feed on, it poisons. It came from a southern region, south of Chinocko but north of Unova, where it was well-managed in its numbers by prey and predators that kept it in check, but in Chinocko the situation is different.

"I asked you to come here to help me catch as many of them as possible so we can keep them managed. But don't worry, we won't be doing this alone. I've enlisted the help of three others." She took a brief breath after her long explanation and checked her tablet. "They should be here quite soon."

Lilly walked up, smiling as she usually did. "Hi Maple," she grinned, waving and walking closer to the professor and the trainer. "Riley!"

Another familiar face arrived, that of Eric. His trench coat had gotten a little dirty, but who's clothes wouldn't get dirty if they spent most of their time around Pokemon. Riley was growing fond of Eric, thinking about how much his research must be helping Pokemon. More than his own efforts, Riley was sure.

"Ah, Riley." Eric put down his own tablet and made eye contact with Riley. "I-..." The cobalt-haired Pokemon Conservationist blinked, clearing his throat. "It's a pleasure to see you again. I'm honoured to be working with you to help Pokemon. It's a great cause that more people need to follow as passionately as you and I."

He turned to Maple, "And dear Professor, I am most honoured to be working with you to manage the population of Rawbbit and Roarbit in this area! I fester a strong dislike for them, as they draw enjoyment out of the suffering of the Pokemon they ruin the lives of, but I digress. Rehabilitating their behaviours takes plenty of attention and work- it's exhausting- but it can be done with a Trainer's passionate heart."

"Hi guys!"

"Hi Lillie, with an -ie!" Professor Maple smiled, urging her to come over. "Alright, now we're all together. What convenient timing, too!" She put away her tablet into her black uniform pocket and pulled up the boots that she had worn for this project. She explained the situation to the three others that had just gotten here, and they all nodded, excited to their part.

"I'll take the route across the rope bridge to the east," Eric instructed. "It will be the area with the most strong Roarbit. I will take care of them as to not stress you all out by their power."

He sent out a Lucario. Wow! A Lucario! Riley didn't even know Eric was a Pokemon Trainer! Much less that his Pokemon were so strong! The Lucario obediently followed behind Pokemon Conservation Eric, its tail swishing cutely as it padded along the moist, grassy ground.

"If he's taking that route, then I'm taking the west!" Lilly declared, skipping on her feet with the same adorable excitement as always. She took Moreel out of its PokeBall to take on the Dragon- and Poison-type Pokemon that was causing trouble in the area. "Look! There's even a treehouse that we get to climb up to get up the cliff!" She ran off, Moreel stretching its body out horizontally to raise its aerodynamics to keep up with the excited girl.

"I'll go up into the trees. I've heard that Rawbbit like to hide in the trees here. And I don't think we should take on the strong Roarbit like you guys, because Saturnius isn't big on fighting. Good luck, though," Lillie smiled, "my friend Riley."

"And Riley, I'll take the pond in the middle of the norther section of this forest area. Flaradillo would be weak in those conditions, so I'm leaving you in charge of the big tree with the winding roots. Good luck!" This message came from Professor Maple, who gave Riley a satchel full of PokeBalls before taking to the swampy but beautiful pond that was to the north of where they were standing. And so, he was the only one left standing there. He took the northern path, which led to a huge tree that had winding roots that had a railing built into them, like a walkable ramp.

Before long, he found himself faced against a Pokemon! It was Rawbbit, like he was looking for! It hopped out from a hole in the tree that was big enough for Riley himself to walk through. "Flarar!" Flaradillo called out as it was sent into battle!


	21. Chapter 21

"Rawb!" the Rawbbit croaked. It hopped over to Flaradillo and splashed poison in the shelled Pokemon face! It was Toxic Sludge! Flaradillo took a little bit of damage, but not much. Flaradillo fought back! It used Flame Wheel and managed a critical hit on Rawbbit, hitting it in its expanded air sac!

"Brit b-brittaw!" the Pokemon ribbitted. It hopped over to Flaradillo again with its round body and opened its mouth. An indigo aura created fangs in its toothless mouth that weren't there before! It screeched and the ethereal fangs reverberated a shock wave that was the same colour as them. Dragon Pulse! It hit Flaradillo and it fell onto its shelled back. Quickly, Riley helped it fix its posture and ordered it to use Bite!

It did, and Rawbbit fainted, but Rawbbit had Poison Touch, a condition in which it excreted poisonous matter from its body that poisoned Flaradillo when it bit it. Distressed about having no way to heal Flaradillo's condition, Riley proceeded with caution, picking Flaradillo up so it wouldn't have to exert itself while walking, and going through the hole in the tree and into a hallway-like hollow that looked, miraculously, like it had naturally grown from the tree.

Riley felt something brush past him, but it moved far too quickly for him to catch it. A couple things tumbled out of his bag, like his PokeDex, a couple healing items, and the Shuca Berry that the lady from the desert gave him. Curious, he picked up the fallen items and turned his head in the direction of whatever it was that had brushed past him. Meanwhile, Flaradillo was growling. But a infliction of pain from the poison it had been infected with made it reel back, turning its cute growl into a whimper. Riley wished he'd had an Antidote on hand, but he'd used it previously.

He sighed. The curious event would have to wait. Riley couldn't bare seeing his Pokemon hurt. He walked down to see Professor Maple, who appeared to be sitting on the back of a Lapras and fishing up Rawbbit that were hiding underneath the dark-coloured water. He asked her for a handful of Antidotes.

"Here Riley," she smiled, placing a set of five Antidotes into PokeCache Capsules and putting them in a bag that had the logo of Moo Moo Milk on it. "I'm probably not going to drink this Moo Moo Milk, so you can keep it, and the Antidotes." With that, the Professor tossed the bag to the shore, and Riley caught it directly in his hands. He used one of the Antidotes on Flaradillo and waved thankfully at Professor Maple.

He returned to the tree, and walked through the hollow. He saw a dim yellow light in the corner of the wide hollow hall. No, two! No, wait, three! What were they? Glowing fungus? Pokemon? Hopefully they wouldn't bother him.

He walked through the hollow hall, being careful not to make any sudden movements that would alert Pokemon and make them attack him. He heard bug-like chittering. He started sweating, hoping to Arceus that he could get through this hall- it was narrowing in around him as he took each step close to the supposed Pokemon, he could feel it getting tighter and tighter, he knew it was, he knew it- without being attacked.

He sighed. He'd made it through the hollow after all. The light from the exit on the other end of the natural hall was now more noticeable than the golden light from the walls. He let his shoulders slouch, no longer in danger. His body was tingling from the knowledge that he wasn't in danger. Relaxing needle-like sensations pinned in his back as his body started getting heavier. Wow, he was tired. Was it really that adrenaline-drawing? There were only three Pokemon- if they even were Pokemon. A blue eye with a green pupil looked at him from his shoulder. He stared at it, too tired to pay it any real attention.

That's when he felt himself fall to the ground below him, his body now too heavy to hold up on his own. The light from the hollow's exit hole became unbearably bright before everything went black.

"Rakt," a small and gruff voice chittered. Riley held his head. What happened? There was a sticky web on his foot, one pinning his knee down, and others around his body that looked to have been ripped off of him. He stood up, his head spinning from vertigo. He heard the bug-like noises, and he also heard Flaradillo's familiar voice. It was crying. Crying for Riley. Riley held his temple with the same hand that his PokeVice was on the wrist of, waiting for his hearing and vision to normalize again.

Three rather tiny, grey and gold Pokemon were crawling along a silver-coloured web that was pinning Flaradillo down to the ground. Flaradillo was completely pinned under the net-like silk except for his head, which the chittering eight-legged Pokemon were biting at. "Aractric!" one of them cooed.

He rushed in, swatting the three small Pokemon away from Flaradillo. Working on pulling apart the web net around Flaradillo, Riley sent out Bluntooth and Barksky! He half-mindedly scanned the Pokemon with his PokeDex to find out how to beat them "Number 37, Aractric. The Paralyzing Pokemon. Electric- and Bug-type. Aractric have the ability to paralyze prey because of the electric venom in their bites. After paralyzing their prey, they trap them in sticky webs that are difficult to break through. They create their own light so they can thrive in dark places and strike unexpected."

Barksky used Brick Break, but it had little effect on the Aractric it had targeted! It jumped back, not wanting to be attacked! Bluntooth used Ice Fang, and the Aractric that it attacked was reduced to half the health it entered the battle with! Barksky got in a second attack, and it too used Ice Fang, bringing the same Aractric that Bluntooth had attacked to merely a sliver away from unconsciousness.

The one who was about to faint screeched. It used Silk Shot, trapping Bluntooth in an inescapable web! Its two partners used Discharge. The electrical discharge from their bodies wasn't enough to hit Barksky, but it did hit Bluntooth, and it fainted with a painful-to-hear hiss.

Riley sent out Corvekt! He'd have to be very careful! Electric-types like Aractric would be very effective against Corvekt! It used Fly, avoiding the Thunderbolt attack that one of the Aractric tried to use on it. It flew down from the air and slashed its sword right through the weakened Aractric, causing it to faint!

Barksky examined Corvekt's graceful and powerful attack, and put together a move that it didn't know it could perform! It determinedly ran on its four paws to one of the Aractric and procured a rock. Barksky's tails wagged as it smacked the rock into Aractric, the super effective attacking causing the arachnid Pokemon to faint! It had just used Smack Down!

And Riley had just managed to snap one of the threads of the web pinning down Flaradillo! By breaking that one thread, many of the other threads broke off! Making sure it still worked, Flaradillo waggled its arm that had just been freed, and started prying at the sticky paralyzing web.

Aractric used Discharge. It jumped on Corvekt and grasped onto its chest, then released an electrical discharge from the lightning bolt pattern on its abdomen that was producing the golden light that Riley had seen before. Barksky used Smack Down again, and Aractric fainted! Everyone panted, exhausted. Riley deemed that they would all rest the moment they got out of the hollow and back into daylight.

Riley finished getting the sticky web off of Flaradillo and put all of the Pokemon into their respective PokeBalls so that they wouldn't be at risk for another surprise attack, should they encounter more Aractric. Surprisingly enough, there was a protrusion in the tree on the other side of the hollow hall that was similar in thickness and walkability to the one on the other side. There was a branch sticking out of the tree that was still on the walkable protrusion, and RIley sat on it, needing a chance to retain his breath.

When he had successfully recovered, he noticed somebody who was sitting on the installed wood-and-rope railing that was meant to keep people from falling off the tree's protrusions. It was a man with hot-pink hair and a white uniform. Riley tried to walk up to him, but when he got near, the man got up from his seat and jumped to a vine that was resting between this branch-path and one not far from this one.

With confidence, Riley jumped to the vine, then used it to swing his way to the next protrusion. He watched from a distance, standing still on the edge of the barky protrusion, as the pink-haired man in the pink and white uniform entered a hollow. Riley followed, curious.

Right as Riley had managed to climb his way up the slippery protruding natural wooden path and get into the hole that made its way into the second hollow, he saw the silhouette of the man exiting through the other hole on the opposite side. This hollow took up the majority of the tree's circumference, not just a hallway like the one below. Something was familiar about the man Riley was following, which was likely the only reason he was following him. This hollow had a huge empty space beneath it. There were plenty of bug Pokemon down there, but Riley decided that he would rather not see them up close. Thankfully, there was also a winding protrusion-path that lead about halfway through the spacious hollow. There was a railing set up on it so nobody would accidentally fall into the pit of gross-sounding bug Pokemon below. There was another wood protrusion above this one that led to the other hole- the one the man had just gone through- and was connected to the lower one by a ladder.

"Bit-bit!" croaked a Pokemon. It was another Rawbbit! Riley sent out Barksky! Right off the bat, he had Barksky use Ice Fang! It coated its fangs in ice and bit down on Rawbbit's air sack! Thankfully, it avoided being poisoned. But Rawbbit still remained conscious! Riley took this opportunity to catch it! That had been his job, but he'd accidentally caused the Rawbbit from earlier to faint. He threw his PokeBall!

One wiggle... two wiggles... three wiggles...!

Oh no! It was so close to being caught, but it broke free! It was fine, because Professor Maple had supplied him with those PokeBalls. He'd just use another. Rawbbit used Dragon Pulse, its attack the same as the Rawbbit before it, except Barksky's part ice typing made the attack weak against it. Riley threw another PokeBall.

One... two... three...

Caught!

Riley decided that he would make Rawbbit pay back what it owed to Chinocko by using it in the fight against its species. He believed that he had the ability to rehabilitate its behaviours. Maybe it wasn't as horrible as everyone was making it out to be.

He climbed up the ladder, and on the upper protrusion-path, he encountered a second Rawbbit. This one was sticking to the wall with its sticky feet, and when it spotted Riley, it jumped down.

With little regard for its wellbeing because of how cruel it was in its behavioural nature, Riley sent out Rawbbit, who was already weakened.

The opposing Rawbbit used Dragon Tail. The indigo aura that had created the other Rawbbit's fangs made itself into a tail that the opposing Rawbbit used to swing at Riley's Rawbbit. Riley's, however, dodged the attack, and used Dragon Tail on the opponent of its same species. The opposing Rawbbit was knocked off the branch-path and into the ocean of creepy bug Pokemon below.

With disgust and a tinge of guilt, Riley watched as the invasive Pokemon was pulled under the waves of white, skittering Pokemon that looked like disgusting larvae. He shuddered. Absolutely revolting. He left the hollow as fast as he could.

Finally! That man! He was sitting down again, this time on his toolbox. Riley was close enough that he could yell to get his attention, but he felt talking face-to-face would be more meaningful.

He walked up, and thankfully, the man didn't walk away again. "Hey, you sure are in a dangerous place," the man pointed out. "What are you doing up here, youngster?"

Riley explained.

"I see. I'm proud of you. Actually, I was here working with Professor Maple as well. I'm Nurse Joy, and I'm working on helping Pokemon that have been injured by Rawbbit's and Roarbit's wrath to recover."

That was what was familiar about the man. He was wearing a Pokemon Centre uniform. He even had the same pink hair as the other Nurse Joys. Though Riley was a little curious about this particular nurses' gender.

"Heh, there's a couple male Joys too," the nurse, who had noticed Riley's curiosity in his body language, explained. "We usually work on the field while our extended sisters work in the cities. It's not really a gender role thing, just personal preference."

Riley nodded. What an interesting and unexpected tidbit. "I can heal your Pokemon for you, if you like," the nurse offered. Riley accepted his offer, and handed over his five Pokemon. "You be careful climbing up the rest of this tree, okay?" Mr. Joy insisted. His client nodded and smiled, then headed farther up the protrusion-path.

This wooden protrusion was much longer than the others, and led higher up the tree. On it, Riley found a PokeBall. He opened it, and found inside an item. Who would be daring enough to leave a PokeCache up this high on a tree? He opened it. "Haban Berry. An item to be held by a Pokemon. If held, it will decreases damage taken by the holder from a single super-effective Dragon-type move." He picked the red berry carefully out of the tiny PokeCache Capsule. He decided to leave one here in case any other travelers were interested. He put one of the several PokeBalls that Professor Maple had entrusted him with into the PokeCache Capsule and he even attached a note with it.

There was a holographic keyboard being projected from the PokeCache Capsule so that Riley could leave a note with the item. He typed the following; "Someday, Chinocko will be spared of the threat of the invasive Rawbbit. Help our cause by catching one in this PokeBall, or any other."

He smiled and left the PokeCache Capsule where he had found the one containing the Haban Berry. He sure hoped someone would use it for the purpose he'd blatantly assigned to the PokeBall.

The protrusion abruptly stopped a couple paces away from where Riley had found the Haban Berry. He looked around him. Where was he to go? It took him some looking, but there was actually a ladder leading downward. He mounted it, not having expected to have had to look downward to find the way forward. There was a fancy DNA-like twist that made it so that the ladder went from facing the air around the tree to facing the tree. Riley assumed this had been done so that a platform wouldn't have had to be invested in, because the protrusion-path that this ladder led down to was directly underneath the one above. Not any bit to the side or forward. Directly underneath.

This lower protrusion-path led into another hollow. This one was charming, its protrusion-path generally sticking to the parameter of the tree. There was a charming water body in the middle of the huge, spacious cavern. The only problem is that the ladder leading to the wooden protrusion had fallen. Riley decided that, to help him think of how he would get up to the path, that he would take on the Rawbbit sitting on a lillypad in the middle of the body of water.

He reached into his bag. That's when he noticed something was missing. His entire body went stiff and cold. Where was the piece of that strange medallion he'd gotten from the woods at Route 1? He'd been told how important it was, and he couldn't afford to lose it!

Desperately, he rummaged through his bag. But it was simply not there! He relaxed himself. For now, he would just have to take on what was directly in front of him. He gave Rawbbit the Haban Berry and sent it to battle its relative!

Rawbbit used Dragon Pulse, its ethereal indigo fangs emitting the shock wave like they had before. The opposing Rawbbit became very weak immediately. It used Dragon Claw, slashing claws made out of that same indigo dragon aura at Riley's Rawbbit. Quickly, Riley's Pokemon ate the Haban Berry it had been given, and it was spared the full damage from the Dragon Claw. Riley threw a PokeBall at the Rawbbit in the interior pond!

It shook in the air as Rawbbit was turned into a white light and transported inside the capsule. It shook once when it landed on the lillypad, then it glowed gold. Rawbbit had been caught!

Just then, a thick log fell from the ceiling. It nearly landed on top of Riley, just barely missing his foot! But it ended up rolling towards the wall, and stopping right in front of the entrance. Riley realized that he could use it to climb up onto the protrusion-path. But instead, Riley walked back to Nurse Joy outside, and requested that he put the Rawbbit that he'd just caught in the PC back at the Pokemon Centre. Then, he scurried back to the spacious hollow.

Right as he got through the hole, he received a call on his PokeVice. "Hey Riley," it was Lillie, who had Saturnius sitting on her shoulder as she played with her French-braided hair that draped over the opposite shoulder in a similar way to how Lilly with a -y usually wore hers (save for the braids).

"Maple told me to tell you that she only expects two more Rawbbit from you. She's been keeping track of all the Rawbbit we've all caught and/or caused to faint. She also told me that she got a signal of a Roarbit from the top of the tree you're in and wants you to investigate. Got that? Okay, good luck! See you soon!"

Desperate to get his cracked medallion piece back, Riley decided to investigate more of the tree. Maybe, just maybe, that Roarbit had his medallion piece! He didn't have the option not to check. Because what if that was the case? What if he never got it back? What if it fell into Team Delta's hands?

Riley tightened the strap of his bag and puffed up his chest. He would take on that Roarbit so that it would stop causing trouble, whether it had his medallion piece or not!

He followed the long, charming wooden protrusion up the parameter of the great tree. Butterfly Pokemon were fluttering around in the air, as well as moth Pokemon, and even bee and ladybug Pokemon. At one point, Riley saw that there was an Aractric web that extended from the protrusion like a tightrope. His Dowsing Machine told him that there was an item across the tightrope, so he carefully crossed it. Like a miracle, he made it across safely. The tightrope led to a much smaller wooden protrusion than the others. There was an exit onto a wooden protrusion outside that was about the same size as its small indoor counterpart.

Apparently, the Aractric that had made the web was waiting out there. Had it lured him in by making its own PokeCache? If that was the case, Riley was extremely impressed by its intelligence.

He sent out Flaradillo! Aractric used String Shot, but Flaradillo managed to pull off its attack even through the web! It used Ember, coughing up a hot coal and launching it at Aractric! The Pokemon fainted from the flaming hot attack and its web went limp, letting Flaradillo escape.

Riley picked up the PokeCache that the Aractric was guarding. Inside, he found a Dubious Disk. What an odd place to find such an item... But Riley had more pressing concerns.

He returned to the main path and continued his climb up the winding protrusion path. This one led to a rather large exit hole. It was almost as if Riley was ascending into a new world, the light out here was so strong. The air was brisk, but not so much cold. The protrusion merged into a branch that had many fruitful leaves growing from it. This is where the guard railings stopped, so Riley would have to be very careful. Thankfully, though, there were wooden platforms set up on certain of the endless number of other giant branches that Riley could swing to using the vines that grew in convenient locations.

Before he could make his jump to the first vine, though, he got an alerting tone from a device of his. He checked his PokeVice, but it wasn't coming from there. He checked his PokeDex. Not from there either. The last device he checked, his Dowsing Machine, was the source of the alerting chime.

"Ella, from New Moon Town, has picked up your PokeBall that you left in a PokeCache in Tempura Woods!" read the notification. How odd. New Moon Town was small enough that Riley could name all of its residents, and none of them were Ella. Perhaps they'd just moved in? There was probably a much more valid reason to this than what he had in mind.

He hopped off the gigantic branch and just barely grabbed onto the target vine. He used his momentum to swing to the next branch, which had a platform with a relieving railing built onto it.

He landed, catching his balance when he did. He followed the wooden platform until it reached another vine. He jumped out to it and swung to the next platform. This one led onto a wooden bridge that balanced on top of a vine that was stretched out from branch to branch like the web thread had been in the interior.

Riley proceeded across the bridge where another wooden platform awaited. This one was very minimal and immediately opened into a row of swingable vines. Riley built up the courage to swing from each one of them and made it to the other side. The leaves here were so thick that they blocked out the light. Furthermore, this leafy cover led back inside the tree. There was a one-way hollow inside, but the entrance hole was small and let in little light.

Glowing mosses and fungi on the walls, however, illuminated the room.

There! In the middle of the room! The strange violet medallion shard! Riley dove for it, but a sticky tongue that left a slime that stung his hand grabbed it from him just as he'd gotten his fingers around it. He reeled, wiping the venomous liquid off of his hand and taking off his glove so that it wouldn't sting him. The long-tongued culprit was Rawbbit! It couldn't swallow the item because it was so large, and not edible, but the cruel Pokemon hopped away, keeping it securely in its lips.

Riley tried chasing it around the room, but couldn't keep up with its long jumps! Eventually, it started using its sticky feet to climb up the tree! Riley noticed a straight-up section of the interior bark that looked like it had been scratched lot by something that was likely trying to scale its edge. Riley sent out Ferrothorn from his PokeCaller and hopped on its back as it scaled the stripped wood.

The Rawbbit was sitting on a chunk of grassy ground that was stuck in an Aractric's sticky web. This web, though, looked way too thick and strong to be the work of a tiny little Aractric. Did Aractric have an evolution? Arceus, he hoped not.

He walked carefully along the web until he too was standing on the chunk of ground. It felt so good to feel dirt under his feet again, but on the other hand, he knew too much weight would cause this to come crashing down. He sent out Barksky! Barksky used Ice Fang, but it missed!

Rawbbit used Toxic, but it, too, missed its attack! Barksky tried using Ice Beam, this time! It hit Rawbbit, and the Pokemon jumped back in pain! It dropped the medallion, which got stuck on the sticky substance that was coating the spider web.

Rawbbit used Poison Jab, jabbing Barksky in an inconvenient and painful place. Barksky was poisoned! Riley hated to watch it suffer, but he knew it could hold out until the end of the battle!

It flinched, though, and Rawbbit used its flinch to land another attack on it! Another Poison Jab! Riley knew Barksky would pull through. He asked it sweetly to use Ice Beam. It did! And the Rawbbit was hit! It was now within a sliver of its health.

However, it popped a Sitrus Berry out from between two of the disgusting hard-as-stone boils on its body and ate it. It was visibly restrengthened. It used Sludge Bomb, launching a ball of its toxic spit at Barksky! Barksky nearly fainted, but held on! Even when it felt the pain from its poison. It used Ice Beam, and Rawbbit fainted! Right before he saw Barksky go unconscious from poison, he sprayed it with one of Professor Maple's Antidotes. It looked up at him with plenty of adoration and puffed up its fluffy chest as it was returned to its PokeBall.

Riley grabbed at the medallion, but when he touched his finger to it, it slipped off the web! A Roarbit much like the one that Team Delta's Leader used, only this one much stronger-looking, picked it up and ran off with it, out from the only way in or out of this particular hollow.

Riley gritted his teeth and growled. He had Ferrothorn carry him back down the stripped bark wall and ran out of the hollow as fast as he could. When he got outside, he witnessed the Roarbit using its acidic excretions to burn through a tall, rather large branch. It fell over, creating a bridge from this wooden platform area to a branch with a flat area that looked like it could be easily walked on, lucky for Riley. There was a vine there that didn't lead anywhere, but when Riley observed what was above the vine, he figured he would have to climb up it if he ever reached it. He watched the Roarbit scurry away from him, launching its poisons at the Pokemon that had fled from the falling branch.

One of them was a Concealpillar. The poor Pokemon had been underneath the base of the branch when it fell, and had tragically been killed, but the Roarbit seemed to relish in its unfortunate death. Another of the Pokemon was a Ledian. When Roarbit caught it flying away, it launched a ball of its poisonous excretion at it. It had no intent of eating it, it only wished to see it die. Its smile grew disturbingly wide when it witnessed the terrifying crack that the Pokemon's body made when it hit the tree's bark far below where it had been flying.

Riley knew he had to get that Pokemon. Not just get it. He wanted to kill it.


	22. Chapter 22

Riley ran after the Roarbit who had escaped via the path it had made by knocking over the branch. He grasped the vine on the other side and climbed up it, then jumped off on the branch that was next to its upper half. He walked carefully across the branch until he encountered another branch that had fallen. This one was hollow, and Riley crawled through it like he was going through a fun tube at a playground.

He got up on the other side and stretched his back. Riley watched the Roarbit pick up the poison-drenched body of a Treedweller Darwing. The cruel venomous Pokemon dangled the paralyzed body of the bird in its hand structure before throwing it against the ground and kicking it to the side. Riley could swear he heard Roarbit laugh.

Every footprint the Roarbit made left a black mark, like it was burning through the wood. It walked into another hollow, spinning the medallion piece around in its hand. Riley had to follow it! And so he did! But first, he stopped to check on the Treedweller Darwing. Without a second thought, he offered it an Antidote, then coaxed the Moo Moo Milk that Maple had given him into the green bird's mouth.

"Wingar?" it chirped, looking up at Riley with its big, cute eyes. Its tail was fluffy, and its legs had thick feathers that made them look like baggy pants. Riley inspected its injuries, scanning it with the PokeDex as he picked it up and rubbed its forehead.

"Darwing. The Adapting Pokèmon Treedweller Form, one of Darwing's six forms. Grass- and Flying-type. Their sharp claws and long legs are a result of Darwing adapting to live in trees, since the ground and rocks had been taken by their other forms. They happily share the trees with their Leafprancer Form and Drill-Beak Form, as Tree Dweller Darwing populate the branches of trees exclusively. Their call is unique to only the Tree Dweller Form, and they feed on the bark of the branches in combination with small bug-type Pokèmon."

Riley took out an empty PokeBall and sat it in front of the injured Darwing. It looked it over, its wide neck craning cutely as it inspected the orb. It looked at Riley, smiled, then pecked the button on the PokeBall. The PokeBall, as usual, shook thrice, then glowed gold. Riley picked it up and grinned. He'd made a new friend.

Another Darwing came to investigate, too. No, not just one, two. Wait, there was an entire flock! They were all so tiny that they could fit in Riley's hand, but their bodies were incredibly detailed. They had many colours in their feathers and they looked as though they had tribal markings on their small bodies.

"Leafprancer Form, one of Darwing's six forms. Flying- and Fairy-type. Constantly dancing, Leafprancer Darwing are known for their melodical call. Some ancient cultures were known to copy the dances of Leafprancer Darwing as a method of sending prayers to the heavens, as they believed the happy birds had connections with the deities of the skies. They're light and small enough to sit on leaves, only ever stopping their dances to feed on the greenest leaves on the tree."

The poor Chinockan Pokemon that had to deal with that cruel Roarbit. If Roarbit wasn't exterminated from this area soon, Riley would be mad.

"Hey! Riley!" somebody called. The trainer looked around to see where the voice was coming from. It was the male Nurse Joy that had been not far below on the tree. "I'll take your Pokemon for you. Maybe it's not smart to walk into this with a full team, especially one not strong against Dragon- or Poison-type." Riley agreed. For the first time ever, he let Flaradillo get sent to the Virtual Paradise. He also sent Corvekt and Barksky to the Virtual Paradise, as well as the Treedweller Darwing he had just caught. When he was done making changes to his team, he was left with Bluntooth and Rawbbit on his team.

"Thanks for your service. Sir Kit will take great care of your beloved Pokemon, I'm sure. Have no worries."

One of the cute pink and green Darwing, in their Flying- and Fairy-type Leafprancer form, hopped up on Riley's shoulder. Was it looking to be a partner of his? He watched as it hopped down the strap of his bag and pulled around inside his bag until he saw a PokeBall roll out. Soon after, the bird popped out too, and landed on the ground. Unfortunately, though, it tripped and landed on its chin. It got back up unfazed, though, and flapped over to the PokeBall. It balanced on it like a ball-balancing Seel and waited for Riley to clue in.

It wanted to help him! He tickle its chin with his fingernail and it chirped adorably in reaction. Riley picked up the PokeBall that the Darwing was standing on and slowly pried it open. The Darwing flapped its wings, keeping itself in the air before it was turned into white light and dragged into the PokeBall. The round device skittered lightly in Riley's palm, but then glowed. Leafprancer Darwing was caught! What a cutie!

Riley walked into the hollow, ready to take on his croaking opponent. He practically growled as he entered. The stench of dead things was immediate when he entered the hollow. Turned-over Pokemon effectively lined the Roarbit's den. There was even a Pupsky that was decaying in the corner. Did Roarbit purposefully surround itself by the bodies of those it had killed? How sadistic could one be!?

The Roarbit was still playing with Riley's medallion piece. It spun it around on its webbed fingers. Its purple-liquid-emitting tongue was juggling an Aractric that it had killed and was debating eating. Both of its shoulders had air sacks on them that puffed up and down in the same rhythm as its chest-based air sack. It had what almost looked to be a crown-type structure on its head that was black and covered in indigo slime.

It was revolting, but it had an air of regalness- no, arrogance- to it that was very intimidating. It was looking at Riley with its hideous yellow and indigo eyes as if it had been expecting him.

"Roooooooaaaakkkk!" it screeched, leaving Riley's ears ringing.

"Blunt-bluntooth!" Bluntooth hissed, taking its position as the first to face Roarbit!

"Roarrobi-it!"

Riley clenched his fist. Roarbit used Dragon Claw! The indigo aura that seemed, to Riley, to be linked to draconic force in some way, formed scary-looking claws on the ends of Roarbit's webbed fingers that it slashed Bluntooth with, but the attack did little damage to Bluntooth because it was Ice-type!

It attacked back with Ice Fang! It bit with ice-coated fangs into the air sack on Roarbit's shoulder! The attack was super effective, but Roarbit was just so defensively strong that it did little damage anyway. And to add to the misfortune, Bluntooth had become poisoned!

Quickly, Riley used one of his two remaining Antidotes on Bluntooth, but not before Roarbit could land a Dynamic Punch on it! It was super effective, but Bluntooth held on, just barely! It used Ice Beam, hitting Roarbit right on its crown structure! The Roarbit took the same amount of damage as it had from Bluntooth's previous Ice Fang, and it counterattacked with another Dynamic Punch! This one caused Bluntooth to faint! And Roarbit was only about a quarter less healthy than it had been starting the battle!

Riley opted to quickly use Darwing's power! The bird's feathers glowed purple as it unleashed a flurry of blinding rainbow lights into the air. Roarbit was caught off guard! It became so confused by the lights that it slipped, doing damage to itself! But not much. It got back up and tried to regain its balance, but it was still teetering on its feet when it stood back up.

Darwing prepared a Future Sight. It foresaw a strong attack hitting Roarbit, and focused its mind on that attack. Roarbit used Poison Beam, but its attack missed because of its confused state! But then it shook its head and regained its focus. Darwing used Moonblast, hoping its Fairy-type attributes would damage Roarbit significantly, but hadn't noticed that Roarbit was also part Poison-type. It damaged it as much as any other regular attack would.

"Biiiit!" Roarbit croaked, its voice low and disgusting to the ears. Riley just wanted it to never make a sound again. Never take a breath again. He wanted it to never hurt another Pokemon again! He wanted it dead! Dead as the Concealpillar that it had pushed a branch onto! Dead as the rotting dead Pupsky in the corner of its den! Dead as the Ledian that had cracked its exoskeleton by falling from such a height because the Roarbit had paralyzed it! He wanted it to rot! He wanted all wild Roarbit to rot!

Roarbit used Poison Beam on Riley's Leafprancer Darwing! The bird nearly fainted, but held on! It remained focused on the Future Sight attack, but used Fly! It flew into the air where Roarbit couldn't reach it! Roarbit attempted to use Poison Beam, but the beam dissipated before it could reach Darwing because it was so high in the air.

"Riley!" Riley heard. What? Who said that? Eric was standing in the entranceway of the tree's hollow. "That Roarbit appears to be an Ultra Pokemon!" He was panting. What was he doing all the way up here? "I'll explain more after it's taken care of!"

Riley nodded to Eric. Eric had confirmed that he wasn't a trainer, but maybe his Lucario would help take care of Roarbit? It was Steel-type, after all. He'd have to ask later. Maybe when things were more desperate.

Darwing clawed Roarbit's tongue with its sharp claws as it shot down from the sky like an arrow. At the same time, Roarbit's body started glowing purple-pink! The Future Sight attack! The light consumed Roarbit and he took significant damage!

It used Dragon Claw on Darwing! Its Dragon-type attack wasn't very effective on the Fairy-type bird, but it was filled with so much rage that it landed a critical hit, causing Darwing to faint!

It was Rawbbit's turn to show its fealty! Riley had the Rawbbit use Dragon Pulse! It created its draconic fangs out of the aura surrounding it and created a shock wave of indigo aura. It honed in on Roarbit and did significant damage to it! Roarbit was in critical condition! It became vengeful!

It summoned a sword out of the indigo dragon aura around it and rushed at Rawbbit with nearly invisible speed! Rawbbit would faint! Riley would have to forfeit!

"Carr!" something meowed.

Riley gasped!

Eric's Lucario was holding back Roarbit's Slayer attack with its own Bone Rush attack! They collided, causing sparks to fly! "Rio!" it called, looking back to Rawbbit for a brief moment.

"Bi-bit!" Rawbbit nodded. It jumped high into the air and focused a Dragon Tail on Roarbit! It formed a draconic tail from the indigo force and slammed it into Roarbit's forehead with all the force it could muster! Roarbit finally fainted!

The medallion piece fell to the ground and rolled a little bit like a coin on the floor. Riley reached his hand out for it. A hand wearing the same fingerless glove as him also reached for it, but it wasn't his own hand.

"Oh," Eric said, pulling his hand back. "Is this yours?"

Riley nodded.

"My apologies. I thought it was ownerless. You did well fighting that Roarbit, you know. As promised, I will explain about Ultra Pokemon." He took a deep breath and began, "Ultra Pokemon are extremely strong members of a Pokemon species that functions as a hierarchy. For example, Rawbbit and Roarbit have a hierarchy. This particular Roarbit was the Ultra, apparently."

The Pokemon Conservationist breathed again, and continued, "That may sound pretty unimportant, but it's more important than you think. The evolved form of the Pokemon species that the Ultra Pokemon belongs to won't appear to a trainer that hasn't encountered their Ultra before. And the unevolved forms won't evolve for their trainer in that instance either. And furthermore, traded members of that species will refuse to obey the trainer unless they have encountered their Ultra before in Chinocko.

"At this point, science suggests that there are about four or five Ultra Pokemon in Chinocko. Many Chinockan Pokemon Trainers make it one of their goals to fight each of the Ultra Pokemon they can find. You seem like the kind of Pokemon Trainer that would pursue that kind of goal, no?

"Anyway, I came up here to let you know that our project is ending for the day. We've made an enormous amount of progress, our team of five."

That's when Rawbbit interrupted Eric. Its body was glowing with pure white light. Riley walked up to it, knowing what this meant! It was evolving into Roarbit now that it had witnessed its trainer's victory over its Ultra Roarbit!

The white light engulfed its body and it became no more than a silhouette. Its round body quickly and somewhat morbidly evolved into a humanoid stature and its shoulders puffed up with air sacs that made it look like it was wearing shoulderplates. It grew much sleeker in build and a vestigial crown structure sprouted on top of its sharp ovoid head. Its eyes were the first thing to be seen after the light cleared. They were the same as Ultra Roarbit's, but they were hiding an evolved heart, not a rotten, sadistic one. And it made them beautiful.

"Here, Riley," Eric began. He held out a red-orange-topped PokeBall that looked to be specialized for the Pokemon Caller. "This is a Charizard that is optimized for using Charizard Glide. I've raised it since it was a Charmander, but I think it would be happy to serve you as well."

Riley accepted the gift from the Pokemon Conservationist. He used Charizard to gently glide down the tree. It was breathtaking seeing the huge tree go by so quickly as he flew down it at the speed of a bullet. Eric followed behind on his own Charizard, his black-scaled while Riley's was orange.

They both landed at the base of the tree. Riley could use this Charizard to take him back to any location he had already been to in a fraction of the time it would take to walk. He would have used it to soar to new areas, but he was scared of getting lost and opted that he would simply explore Chinocko as it occurred to him.

"Welcome back!" Professor Maple waved. "Lilly and Lillie both went to Torutara Town to rest in the motel there. I suggest you do too. Here, I'll take you there."

With that, Professor Maple gently grabbed hold of Riley's hand and directed him back to Torutara Town just outside of the forest. "See you later, good Riley," Eric said, waving as he watched Riley walk away. "And honourable Professor Maple! I'd come with you, but a Pokemon Conservationist's work is never done." He turned around and walked the other way before hopping on his Charizard's back.


	23. Chapter 23

Riley was up as early as possible the next morning! He was so ready to find out where he would get his new gym badge! He was ready to finally move on to the next chapter of his Pokemon adventure! He started walking towards Vancine City, but to get there, he had to stop by his hometown, New Moon Town. Maybe he could ask about that Ella girl who had apparently picked up the PokeBall he had left behind. But first, he stopped at the Pokemon Centre. He retrieved Flaradillo, Barksky, Bluntooth, and Corvekt from the Virtual Paradise before heading home to see his father and his old neighbours.

The doorknob was chilly and moist from the morning dew, as was the grass that made up their small but cozy front lawn. He turned it. The house was quiet. The lights were off. His father was probably asleep. The sun wasn't even over the brick wall around the city yet.

He walked inside, his four Pokemon walking in a single-file line through the door behind him. Bluntooth sniffed around, curious. It had never been to Riley's home before. Barksky immediately jumped on the couch and nuzzled its nose into the cushion. Both of its tails wagged like propellers when it caught the scent of Riley's father.

Flaradillo remembered this place, too. It was the first real home it had been in besides Professor Maple's home, which was right beside her laboratory. Corvekt was excited, too. It waddled along the floor, then jumped up on the kitchen table, laying its wooden sword down in front of it as it felt safe here.

Riley did too. This was his home. He felt euphoria returning here after so many long days. It had been at least a week and a half since he'd gone off on his adventure, possibly even more, and he didn't realize he was homesick until he returned here.

The stairs creaked. A big, proud knight in jeans and a sweater walked down them. Riley ran up to him and hugged him before the man was even awake. It was great seeing his father again! Even after only a couple days, Riley had so much to tell him!

"Riley!" The Pokemon Trainer's dad picked him up and hugged him close to his chest, rubbing his charming stubble against the boy's cheek. It made him giggle before the man put him back on the ground.

"Wow, you've made it on the news, you know." Riley's dad was smiling so wide his pearl-white teeth were showing. "I saw the article where you stopped Team Delta from ruining the power all throughout Chinocko. I'm proud of you. You and Night Shadow saved Chinocko." The big, muscular man yawned for a long time before rubbing his mouth and eyes and sitting at the kitchen table. "As promised, I'm gonna make you your favourite; Oran Berry Pie!"

It was delicious and steamy and perfectly cooked. The filling was glossy and the most beautiful jewel-like blue imaginable. Riley's dad even made it so that it was edible for Riley's Pokemon, and they all enjoyed it greatly.

Riley's father had, as he said he would, brought his Pokemon back into his home. There was a Huskowl, a Racrook, and a Machamp. His father sure did like Fighting-type Pokemon. He was a professional hockey player in his day. But that was before he had gotten a leg injury and had to give up his two favourite things: Pokemon battling and hockey playing.

He was once the Fighting-type Gym Leader of Chinocko, but he had to give up that title when he'd become disabled. Riley was really upset about that. It wasn't fair that an injury caused by someone else would end his dad's favourite two careers. It wasn't like he was alive during those days; in fact, he had been born exactly a year and two weeks after his father had to give up the Courage Badge as well as his skates, but it still made him angry.

And not only that, but the man who had taken the place of his father was the man who had injured him, Arden, the new bestower of the Courage Badge and Chinocko's cruel new Fighting-type Gym Leader. Oh, was Riley ever excited to make his Pokemon suffer.

Huskowl and Barksky were too busy loving each other to pay attention to anything else. Huskowl was Barksky's father, just as Riley's father was Riley's, and they hadn't seen each other in so long. Huskowl looked to be so inexplicably proud of its child for evolving, and for helping protect the boy that he was there to witness grow into a charming young man.

Bluntooth was sitting in Riley's dad's lap, getting pet and purring as loud as it ever had before. Flaradillo was sitting next to Riley on the floor, not wanting to leave his side at all. They were much too close for Flaradillo to ignore Riley, and the Pokemon was glad to see Riley catching up with his father after the last week or two.

Corvekt was getting to know Machamp and it was perched on the Pokemon's muscular blue arm. Racrook was busy gorging on leftover Oran Pie, the glutton it was. It was sitting in the corner and observing how happy everyone else was as it ate. It smiled and got up before discreetly bringing its plate into the sink. Riley's dad got up and walked to the sink to start washing the dishes.

"I finally did something I should have done a long time ago," he smiled. "I brought back my old partners. They're a little hungry to battle, but they unfortunately can't because I can't take them on a journey anymore like we used to. It's upsetting, but they don't mind as much as it pains me.

"I'm proud of you, son. Take a piece of Oran Berry Pie with you. Eat it if you get hungry, or feed to a Pokemon if it needs a good restore. Oran Berry Pie takes a good number of Oran Berries to make, so it has a much greater healing property than just regular Oran Berries.

"It'll help you, I hope. I'm so glad you're going on a Pokemon League Challenge. You're going to bring great glory to our family name." The ex-Gym Leader took a break to focus on the sticky stain he was washing. "There's a lot to the Chinocko region, and I hope you get to see all of it."

Riley spent a couple hours at home, then he waved goodbye to his father, gave him a kiss, and left to take the next step of his journey. That's when his wrist started vibrating. It was his PokeVice. He was getting a call. "Hey Riley, it's me, Professor Maple," was what the woman in the holographic projection said when Riley answered his PokeVice.

"I think- oh." The woman looked up from her device. What was she looking at? "I gotta go, you're here." Curious, Riley looked up from his device as well. There she was, Professor Maple, standing right in front of the fountain. She walked up to Riley with the same alluring walk as she always had.

"It's a coincidence seeing you here right now. I wasn't expecting to, that's for sure. Were you visiting your father?" Riley nodded. "Ah, that's great. Spend as much time with your family as you can, because they won't be here forever. Anyway, as I was saying on the PokeVice, come to my lab. I have something for you." She waved at Riley, then turned back and walked the other way, the direction of Maple Labs.

Riley followed, curious to see what it was she had for him. He walked into her lab. She was waiting in front of a new elevator door that wasn't there the last time he'd been there. Or was it? He wasn't sure.

"Have I got news for you," Maple began before Riley was even paying attention. "While you were off in Eclisse City, saving all of Chinocko, I got a message from the Pokemon League. As the Professor of Pokemon Conservation, they wanted me to take the spot of the Gym Leader of the Venom Badge since the former gym leader had to retire!"

Riley gleamed. How cool! Wow, he was going to be getting his Venom Badge from the same person who gave him the Pokemon that started his entire adventure! What a crazy thought!

She went on, "I converted the medical lab downstairs into my gym, you see. I don't know if I mentioned it to you, but I study the medicines used to help Pokemon recovery from injuries just as I do the physical aspect of it. After all, you can't always expect an injury to heal all on its own. Meet me downstairs in the basement when you're ready for a gym battle you won't forget!"

The Venom Badge, huh? Riley knew which Pokemon he would use against the Poison-type Pokemon that Maple would be using. He stopped at Professor Maple's desk and changed up his party using the PC there. He was left with Darwing in its Leafprancer form and Darwing in its Subterrain form, and Flaradillo when he was done.

She walked ahead and entered the elevator that lead down to the gym. Riley followed her. It looked so much different than he had expected. He was expecting a white-tiled room with flasks and bottles of medication. While there were flasks and bottles of medication, it definitely wasn't a white-tiled room.

There was a thick glass floor that overlooked a pool of bubbling purple liquid below. Furthermore, the same purple liquid was flowing from vents in the walls, trickling down into the pool like waterfalls of poisonous liquid. Despite this, though, it smelled rather pleasant. Almost like a perfume that one would use as a guilty pleasure. The floor broke off into a bridge that lead across the pool of poison below, and in the middle of the bridge was a large round section with a PokeBall design painted on it in white. The design was no more than a sketch, but Riley knew what it meant. This was a Pokemon Battlefield.

Professor Maple was standing in expectation of Riley at the end of the bridge. There was a circle of white-tile stairs that lead up to where Maple was standing proudly. There was a wall made of the same glass as the bridge behind her, and on it was the symbol of the Venom Badge, a fang with purple liquid dripping off the bottom of it. Behind the glass wall, the half-translucent liquid trickled down, tinting the fluorescent lights behind it the same purple colour.

...

HOW COULD ANYONE MAKE SUCH A HUGE RENOVATION IN ONLY FOUR DAYS!?

Riley approached Maple at the other end of the long, huge room. "So," she began," you're ready for a Pokemon Battle against the woman who started your entire adventure, huh?" She juggled one of her PokeBalls in one hand. "I sure hope you're ready for a challenge then, because I am as strong as all the Pokemon who rely on my help to recover from the downfalls of human mass-production!"

Riley clenched his fist! He was ready! They both walked down to the PokeBall design and began their battle immediately.

"Grimer, go!"

"Mermer." a purple Pokemon murmured. It slithered around on its gel-like body ready to battle!

"Dillado!" Flaradillo called, also ready to take on its opponent!

"Grimer, pull off the first move! Use Poison Beam!"

"Mergri!" the Pokemon called as it shot out a purple beam! It collided with Flaradillo's leg shield, but it still did damage, and ended up poisoning Flaradillo!

"Dill!" Flaradillo's cute gruff voice shouted. It curled up its body and used Flame Wheel. It rammed into Grimer, and Grimer took damage! Flaradillo stopped rolling around on its shell when its body tensed up from the pain of the poison it was plagued with.

Grimer used another Poison Beam! It landed a critical hit, and Flaradillo fell unconscious!

Riley sent out Leafprancer Darwing! He had it use Future Sight! It focused its energy on an attack against Grimer. Grimer used Poison Beam, but its attack missed Darwing! Darwing used its next turn to use Confusion! It created a display of lights that hypnotized Grimer. It stumbled around in its jelly body as it tried to focus! It used Sludge Bomb, but its attack missed due to it being confused!

Purple-pink light surrounded Grimer! The Psychic-type attack hit the Poison-type Pokemon with full force! Grimer fainted! It lost control of the shape of its body and turned into a purple puddle on the ground. Then, Professor Maple returned it to its PokeBall.

"Toxock, it's up to you!" She sent out a Metamorphic Toxock! It used Poison Beam, and it hit Darwing straight in its tiny chest! The little bird fainted on contact!

"Ringwing!" Darwing chirped as it fell to the ground, unable to keep itself flying it was in so much pain. A red wing rubbed the little bird's back.

"Wingard," nodded the Subterrain form of Darwing to its partnering Leafprancer. It rubbed its back shortly before standing in front of it and holding out its wings protectively. "Darri!" it crowed!

Toxock used Toxic! Darwing became poisoned! It cringed as it felt the painful effects of the venom. But it pulled through and made its attack! The entire lab shook as Darwing summoned a strong Earthquake! But the opposing Pokemon was levitating and it did nothing to Toxock! Darwing's face widened in shock. How could it defeat a Pokemon when its strongest attacks couldn't hit it!?

Toxock used Rock Smash! It expanded its gel body outside of its rocky shell and then imploded, smashing its shell, the shards falling on top of Darwing! Quickly, the shell reformed to protect the Toxock's cell underneath it.

Darwing would have to go for Darwing's Rock-type attributes! Riley sprayed the last Antidote that he had received from Maple onto Darwing's infected area, healing it. Toxock tried to use Poison Beam again, but its attack missed, and it nearly hit Riley had he not jumped out of the way!

What did Darwing know that would be super-effective against a Rock-type Pokemon? A Steel-type move! Thankfully, Darwing knew one! It coated the claws on the tips of its wings in iron and slashed Toxock with them! It had just used Iron Claw! Toxock was forced into critical condition!

Toxock used Rock Smash, but Darwing moved out of the way before the rock shards could fall on it! Before its new shell could fully form, Darwing used Iron Claw again, and Toxock took so much damage that it fell to the ground, unconscious!

"Time to see the power of a cruel heart turned good!" Maple called out. "Roarbit, show Riley how you've grown!" She dramatically threw a Dusk Ball into the field, putting a side-spin on it for effect. An unusually-coloured red and black Roarbit came out. It was unlike any Roarbit he'd seen before!

"Roarbit! Use Earthquake!" Maple ordered. The laboratory shook again, an earthquake rumbling the gym! But Darwing managed to cement itself on the bridge using its claws and didn't take any damage from it!

Darwing used Earthquake next, and Roarbit found itself tripping over as the ground vibrated underneath it! It was super effective!

"Roarbit, take this!" Maple said, dropping a Full Restore into its webbed hand. The oddly-pigmented Pokemon's air sacks inflated with happiness as it sprayed the Full Restore on its wounds! It was as healthy as it was when it had started!

"Wingu!" Darwing cried in protest! It ran up to Roarbit and used Iron Claw! It slashed the Dragon- and Poison-type Pokemon right on the thigh, causing it to trip over! Then, it fluttered it heavy body to the best of its ability into the air and coated its talons with metal. It slashed the Roarbit's extended back with a protestful Iron Claw!

"Biiit!" Roarbit complained, calling its opponents move unfair! It jumped up and took on a battle position! It released its tension in a strong Dynamic Punch! Its punch was super effective on Darwing, it being a Fighting-type move used against a Rock- and Ground-type Pokemon!

But Darwing held on out of sheer respect for Riley. It looked back to its trainer, its eyes coated in salty tears from all of the pain it was in. Riley looked back at his bird Pokemon, his eyes going soft when he saw the sheer pain Darwing was suffering. He wanted to help, but he knew Darwing had enough in it to finish this battle! Riley nodded to Darwing.

Darwing flexed its wings, building up tension and strength in its body, then slammed its wings like fists into the glass bridge! The glass crystallized as it shot up in a shock wave affect! A concentrated Earthquake attack would do much more damage than one that would shake the entire place! And it did! A glass pillar popped up right underneath Roarbit, causing it to go flying into the wall in the back of the room that had the Venom Badge painted on it.

"Aaahh!" Maple shrieked, her jaw dropping. "Roarbit, you poor thing! Return!"

Maple sent Roarbit back into its Dusk Ball and walked with her becharming subtly towards Riley. She knelt down and handed a purple badge to Riley. The Pokemon Trainer's eyes sparkled when he laid eyes on the Venom Badge, its gold outline and lustrous purple paint clashing stylistically with the matte ivory colour of the fang. He proudly clipped it to the strap of his messenger-style bag and stood straight.

"Riley, you are now one of the owners of the Venom Badge. With this badge on your sash, you may now take the Ferry to Peurt Town, which is north of Vancine City but not as far north as as far north as Arctacle City. The reason we can't just build a route there is because Mount Charm stands between Vancine City and Peurt Town. But I think you'll like Peurt Town, huh?"


	24. Chapter 24

That meant Riley only had one place to go. The Ferry Terminal in Vancine City. Oh, but what about Sandra? He still had that Painted Pineco for Sandra? He would have to stop by Suncoast City first, but that was fine.

He took his regular team, Corvekt, Barksky, and Bluntooth, out from the Virtual Paradise from the PC in the Maple Labs lobby room, and put the two Darwing inside. Then, he stopped at his dad's house to say goodbye again. He was going into the next subregion of Chinocko now, it could be much longer before he got to see his dad.

"Hey, son! Where are you headed to now?" his father asked, happy to see him. Riley said he was headed to Suncoast City to deliver an item to Sandra, then was going to Peurt Town. "Peurt Town, huh? How are you planning to get there?" his dad asked. By Ferry, of course.

"I'm afraid, son," Riley's dad began, sighing. "The Ferry Terminal isn't running because there's been a huge oil spill in the path it sails. It can't take you to Peurt Town."

Riley gasped. An oil spill!? This had to have been Team Delta's fault! Only they would go this far! He clenched his fist and bolted back out the door! "P-please be careful" Riley's dad hollered after him, running to the door to make sure he was heard.

Riley arrived on the beach of Suncoast City and ran, tripping over himself in the sand, up to Sandra's Pokemon Gym. He didn't even change out of his water outfit he was in such a hurry.

"Hello, Riley." Sandra was standing behind the counter of the Sand Centre, packing up some things of hers into a backpack that she pulled up around her shoulders and tightened appropriately. Riley saw her take a small amount of money, an Ultra Ball, and a key. What was that key for?

Riley waved back, not wanting to be rude, of course. He took the Painted Pineco out of his bag and put it on the desk in front of Sandra. "A... Painted Pineco?" she questioned, moving her abnormally large ponytail off her shoulder. "From the girl in the Sherrow City Ice Rink's Box Office, you say? I'll have to thank her... In the meantime, I actually have something that I'd like you to bring to someone."

Sandra had been a huge help to Riley, so he decided he would do this for her.

"I have a White Rose that my friend Ross the Musician in Peurt Town wanted me to pick for him. Would you take it, please?" Sandra asked, handing Riley a glass capsule that contained a snow-white rose. Riley agreed that he would deliver it.

"I'm going to Emerald Atoll, just north of here. I'm going to see if there's anything I can do about the oil spill that just happened." Sandra looked up at Riley, who looked intrigued. "Y-you mean to say you want to come?" It wasn't like her to be so serious. But Riley guessed that it was a very serious situation, after all.

"Alright. Meet me on the beach. My family owns a private speedboat that will take us to Emerald Atoll." With that, she left. To the beach, Riley supposed. So he followed her.

So that inactive white boat with the blue painted designs on it belonged to Sandra's family. Riley personally didn't care up until now, but now that he knew he felt it was worth questioning before when he hadn't.

He got in the seat next to Sandra, who looked so much more mature now that she was being serious. "You better buckle in tight. This thing goes as fast as the Ferries." And it did. Riley had to take his hat off and put it in his bag so it wouldn't fly off. It was a very impressive ride.

They stopped at the entrance to a crescent-shaped atoll that was primarily made of rocks. "There's only one island in this atoll, so I'm going to stop here as opposed to on the island. Talk to me if you want to go back to Suncoast City, or if you want me to heal your Pokemon for you. I'm going to use my on-board equipment to see if I can make a solution to dilute the poisonous oil.

"And be careful. Lapras might get hurt if she stays in the oil too long. Be quick if you're going to use Lapras' Waves." With that, she got up and went to the back of her speedboat to set up a high-tech machine which she poured some pink liquid into. The process was very confusing to Riley, so he didn't decide to stay on the boat. He hopped on Lapras' back and glided along the water, being careful not to keep Lapras swimming in the poisonous oil for too long. He saw the island that Sandra was talking about. It was a very, very small island, only a little bit larger than the boat, but what was underneath the island was much more important.

There was an entrance to a cave on the small rock island. What was in that cave? Riley's curiosity got the better of him, so he went in the direction of the island and cave.

He hopped off of Lapras and returned it to its blue PokeBall in the Pokemon Caller. Three of the six PokeCaller slots were now filled up. What other Pokemon could possibly help Riley on his adventure? He was excited to find out, regardless!

He looked down into the cave. There were no electrical lights or torches, but there were sapphire gems on the walls that appeared to be emitting enough light to illuminate the cave with a pleasing blue air.

He walked in, the cave entrance having a steady and slightly steep decline which lead into an underwater tunnel. He followed the rather-tight tunnel until he came upon some Team Delta Grunts that were ordering Grimer to do something! What mischief were they up to!? He ran up!

"Are you here to help us?" the female, who had platinum blonde hair that was in a fishtail braid that reached the middle of her back and had a beret on asked, her eyes looking hopeful.

Of course Riley wasn't helping Team Delta! He would never even dream of it!

"Ugh. Fine! Then take me on!" the Team Delta Grunt shouted, clenching her fists and taking on a battle position!

"Merim!" her Grimer chattered.

What could Riley use against a Grimer!? He hadn't kept any of his Darwing with him!

"Bar..." Barksky growled. But then, it had an idea! It nudged Riley's hand. Huh? Riley gasped, then cupped his hand around Barksky's chin as it tried to explain that it had thought of a new move it could use.

It put its paws on the ground and lowered its torso to reduce its vulnerability. It started digging like the dedicated canine it was and managed to dig a hole through the floor of the cave-tunnel.

Grimer used Toxic, but it couldn't hit Barksky while it was under the ground!

When Barksky popped back up from the ground, it made sure to cover the Grimer in the rocks! The salt in the rocks diluted to the poison of Grimer's body, causing it great damage! But it still had a decent amount of health left to fight with. It used Tackle on Barksky!

Barksky took a little bit of damage, while avoiding being poisoned. It used Dig again, digging deep into the rocky floor. Grimer used Protect, but its defenses fell again by the time Barksky landed its attack, and so the Grimer fainted!

"Thank you," the female Delta Grunt giggled, covering her mouth a little with her gloved fingers as to not seem pushy. "You battling my Grimer has helped it digest the oil through the tunnel's rock filters. So, you just helped me. Thanks!"

Riley was baffled. What was she talking about? 'Digesting the oil through the tunnel's rock filters?' That sounded like something good-hearted. Was Team Delta actually trying to help? No, it wasn't possible. He proceeded on, where he met up with another Grunt.

"Hey! You might have taken down my team of Toxock, but I'm back, and I have a Grimer team this time! Can you win against us now!?"

This was the Grunt who had pink hair from before. What was her name again? Herret? Henna? Hannah? Something with an H. He couldn't be bothered to remember the name of a bad-doer. Only to fight them!

"Gri!" burped the first Grimer, purple bubbles floating out of its mouth.

"Mer!" the second Grimer strained, its body straining as it slurped up a puddle of black on the ground from below it.

"Grimer!" the third Grimer sighed, pleased, and rubbing its tummy region.

Barksky got the first attack and used Dig! It hid under the ground and avoided the attack of all three Grimer, one purple, one purple-blue, and one purple-red. He popped up and hit the pure purple one, causing it to faint!

The bluer one used Poison Beam, but Barksky dodged the attack! The other one used Minimize, and shrunk its body slightly, minimizing its vulnerable area.

Barksky used Dig once more, digging deep under the blue-lit tunnel-cave. It popped up and hit the bluer-pigmented of the two Grimer, causing serious damage! But the Grimer held on, and used Poison Jab, jabbing its drippy hand into Barksky's rib! Barksky only took a little damage, though. The red-pigmented one used Protect, but it failed!

Barksky used Ice Beam on the blue-purple Grimer, and it had been weakened so much that it fainted, even though the attack was ineffective! The red Grimer used Poison Beam, and it launched a purple and foul-smelling beam at Barksky! Barksky was hit, but took little damage!

It used Dig a final time, and dodged Grimer's Tackle attack! Then, it popped up and smothered the Grimer in rocks and salts that eroded its body. It fainted in only one hit, and was returned to its PokeBall.

"Again, you beat me!" the Grunt, Hāṛa, sighed, putting her face in her palm. "Well, at least you're being helpful. Grimer and Muk have a much easier time filtering oil while battling."

Riley was greatly confused. Were Team Delta actually using their Grimer to help the case of the oil spill, or were they somehow trying to trick him into believing that while they were actually the ones who were feeding it and who had caused it!? It was obviously a trick! Whoever was behind all this was going to be stopped!

There was the masked man from before! Team Delta's Leader! Riley ran up to him, knowing he had to do something! What was Team Delta doing playing with toxic oil in an area with countless Pokemon living!?

"Ah," the man sighed, turning when he heard Riley's unique pace. "It's you, I see. Are you here to help?"

Riley snarled. He would never help Team Delta!

"No? A shame. Without us, the Pokemon in Emerald Atoll would be primarily killed off. But it was my own foresight that had them evacuated. I predicted the spilling of this large amount of oil so I had my Grunts and other Team Delta members take all of the Pokemon out of this area. They're all in a regulated aquarium in our base of operations to the north. If you're not going to help, then go away."

Who was it underneath that mask? They, for whatever reason, sounded familiar. Well, who it was mattered not. What did matter was that they be stopped!

"Bark bark!" Barksky barked at the top of its lungs!

"Fine, if it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!" the masked man shouted, angered. "Muk!"

A huge Pokemon that was even taller than Riley that had a great resemblance to the other Grimer turned around, sucking oil up from the slippery rock ground.

"Use Poison Beam!" Team Delta Leader ordered.

It did. Its Poison Beam was so strong that it sent Barksky flying backwards! But it used its claws to grab hold of the ground before it could skid too far. It came running back and stood protectively in front of Riley!

"Bark!" it boofed! It used Dig, crawling under the ground! Muk used Earthquake, and Barksky's cry of pain could be heard all the way on the surface! It popped up and smothered the Muk in corrosive rocks. The Muk took a decent chunk of damage, but not enough to bring it into critical condition, or even more than a quarter of its health!

"You see," Team Delta Leader began. "Muk and Grimer can digest oil in a similar way to how a sponge picks up water. We're using their unique ability to do this in order to filter out the oil from the atoll, not only stopping it from spreading, but also reducing it. At this rate, though, it may take a lot of effort and time. But I think it is worth it in order to be able to return the evacuated Water-type Pokemon to the area in an environment where they will be safe and healthy."

Ugh! Just shut up! This was time to battle, not time for conversation! Riley ordered Barksky to use Ice Beam, then to dodge the next attack!

Muk used Poison Beam at the same time Barksky used Ice Beam! Barksky fought against the power of Muk's Poison Beam, but its attack was weak against Poison-type, so ultimately Barksky was the one who had received damage! It flew back again, but not quite as far this time.

It dug under the ground right as Muk tried to use Toxic, and dodged the attack! It crawled through the underground, but then it noticed that it had run right into an illuminating sapphire. It tried to dig around it, but it couldn't find a way around the large raw jewel! It climbed back to the surface, not willing to risk having Earthquake used on it!

Muk used Earthquake as expected, but Barksky had been in the air after jumping out of the ground and wasn't damaged! Barksky moved to a different spot and dug under the ground. The rocky ground here was gross and had sticky black tar dripping through it as Barksky dug. The canine popped out and coated Muk's body in the rocky ground! Muk took damage, but it was still only about at half what it started with!

It slammed its gel hand down on top of Barksky and started injecting toxins into it. It struggled under the Muk's strong hand, but couldn't escape! It was poisoned!

Barksky yelped in pain, but eventually managed to escape Muk's ruthless attack! It dug deep into the ground and drilled its way right into Muk's underside! Barksky could been seen as a silhouette through Muk's indigo body until Barksky drilled its way through the top of Muk's head! Muk was seriously damaged, but it still survived! Even if it was in critical condition!

"Muk! Stand down!" yelled the disturbingly familiar voice underneath the mask! He sent Muk to the sidelines to continue digesting the poisonous oil, then the masked man sent out a Grimer!

Barksky used Dig again and found itself in front of a wall of water. "Ark!" it yelped! But the water was being blocked by something. It was one of the luminous sapphires! The sapphire was keeping the water's edge from coming into the tunnel-cave! Quickly, Barksky dug upward and buried Grimer underneath the rocks it had pushed up while digging!

Grimer fainted, but not before it could see Barksky fall to its knees as the poison bubbled up as it escaped through the poor canine's pores.

"Grimer, return!" Team Delta's Leader yelled, sending the unable-to-battle Pokemon off to complete its other job. He pressed the button on the side of his helmet that had the Team Delta insignia on it, and it brought up a graph on the visor of the helmet. He then took out a PokeBall. "Lucky for you, the oil levels have been decreasing. Your Barksky may be spared!

"Now, Grimer, come here and get some digestive assistance!" A Grimer who was sucking oil up in another corner came into battle! It immediately used Protect, and the Dig attack that Barksky used did no damage to it!

Barksky used Brick Break! It slammed its paw down on Grimer as it using a karate chop! Grime had low defence, so it did about half of its usual health worth of damage! Grimer used Poison Beam, hitting Barksky on the forehead! And to add salt to the wound, Barksky received damage from poison! It would faint soon!

It used Brick Break once more, causing the weak Grimer to faint! Then, Barksky's inflicted poison caused it to go unconscious so its body could recover. Riley sent out Corvekt! At least Muk's Poison-type attacks wouldn't be super effective against Corvekt, even if its Flying-type attacks weren't super effective on Muk!

Corvekt used Fly! It flew as high as it could up to the ceiling of the tunnel-cave! It easily dodged Muk's Poison Beam with the momentum its wings gave it! Then, it came down and ran its wooden broadsword into Muk's eye! Muk reeled back, but its venomous excretions poisoned Corvekt! Corvekt caved in on itself as purple and indigo electric-like shocks encapsulated its slick black body.

It used Aerial Ace, attacking Muk with incredible speed and precision, and landing a critical hit on top of that! Muk fainted!


	25. Chapter 25

"Thank you for helping my Grimer and Muk digest the oils they're eating. But I must ask one further thing of you," Team Delta's Leader said, letting his guard down in his body language.

"Please, I know you think we're an evil organization, but you've got to give up your hatred for Team Delta for this once." The voice underneath the mask sounded desperate and needy. Riley let his guard down without noticing it.

"You have to trust me, please. Even if you never trust me again, trust me now. We mean no ill will here in Emerald Atoll. All I said earlier was the raw truth and nothing but, it was our work that saved the Pokemon in this area.

"While I wish I could do more to help, I unfortunately can't. I must stay here and make sure the rock-filters as well as the Grimer and Muk here are all doing their appropriate job. Here, take this," Team Delta's Leader said, handing Riley a really really dark blue-topped PokeBall.

"That's Ripgill, the Zipped-Up Pokemon. It knows how to use Ripgill Abyss, which I'm entrusting to you so you can dive down to the bottom of Emerald Atoll and investigate the oil tanker down there that exploded, causing this major oil spill. Do you believe me to be telling the truth?"

Riley looked sternly into the masked man's visor.

"I presume a Pokemon is at fault for this event, but I will not blame the Pokemon for this. It is foolish building in a Pokemon's habitat and then expecting them not to investigate. Either way, take my Ripgill, and these." The Leader of Team Delta handed Riley a folded-up navy-blue diving suit, complete with spots of armour that stood out rather definedly compared to the rest of the suit's stretchy, warm fabric. It even had a helmet that was very similar to Team Delta's Leader's helmet, except this one had a visor that was made of tinted glass as opposed to having no visor and using a pseudo-visor made of a holographic screen.

Riley accepted it. He would do this. It was his duty to help Pokemon, and if it meant helping Team Delta, he would do it anyway.

"Thank you, uh... Riley, right?"

Had Riley told the Leader of Team Delta his name? Probably, if he knew it. Or maybe someone else told them his name. Either way, it didn't matter. There was a temporary truce now, and, with reluctance, Riley forgot his grudge against Team Delta just for the time being.

He left the cave and sailed on Lapras' back back to Sandra's ship. "Hey, what's up?" she asked. Riley answered. "You want me to heal your Pokemon? Alright. It'll only take one second." She took Riley's four PokeBalls and brought them with her into the interior of the ship, which was located in the back of the hull. She brought them back up and handed them to Riley. "There, all healed." She quickly went back to her work, and Riley quickly went to his work.

He swam on Lapras' back into the middle of the oil leak and deployed Ripgill. The Pokemon, even though incredibly intimidating, offered to assist Riley with no with no reluctance at all. He changed into his Team Delta diving suit and put the helmet on. He assumed he looked cool, even if he was wearing Team Delta's clothing. He called Lapras back into the Pokemon Caller and then held on tight to the rope that was tied around Ripgill's wide neck region as it submerged into the water.

A light on Riley's brand-new helmet illuminated the way a little, but the gas everywhere made everything just so dark. He tried looking around for a short while, but he just couldn't see a thing.

"Ren..." a pleasant voice sang. Riley turned in the direction he heard it. "Sy..." it sang, trying to get his attention. Riley guided Ripgill to go in that direction. A pleasant blue light illuminated the area where the singing was coming from. In the light, Riley could make out a womanly physique that was very pale white, and a fish's tail that was emerald green. Furthermore, there were elegant, if not huge hands the same colour of the tail. No wait, the tail was actually hair, and the hands were too. Or, at least, they were something like hair. They had no strands or anything of the sort, rather they had the texture of fins, but they extended from the figure's head like hair.

"Sire..." the sing-songy voice said softly. Was this a Pokemon? Yes, it must have been.

The figure swam to the east and slightly downward. The Pokemon must be trying to guide him. He followed it. It stopped on a chunk of abyssal land that was floating in the water, unable to reach the top of the water because of its weight, but not heavy enough to fall to the bottom.

Ripgill followed the singing sound and the glowing light coming from the Pokemon's blue eye. It swam at a rather consistent distance away from Ripgill, guiding it through the murky oil spill like a foglight. It stopped in front of what looked to be a sliding chrome door that was bent and forced open for whatever reason.

It sat there and crossed its legs, assuming a sitting position in the dark water. Riley guided Ripgill to it, then gestured that he wanted to speak with the Pokemon. It responded, "Syra." It's voice was undisturbed by the water and sounded like a song sung by a Goddess. Riley was relieved when he heard it.

It sang its beautiful song as it swam into the building, the door of which it had been standing in front of. Riley, not wanting to lose the sound, followed the Pokemon through the wide hallway of the building, until he came upon a machine. It looked to be a drain. Perhaps, when the building was in commission, this machine drained the water out of the room and possibly also refilled it as submarine-like ships entered the building, carrying the workers? Either way, it was most obviously broken.

Riley guided Ripgill towards where the feminine Pokemon was waiting for them. It gestured with its hand-like fins that extended from that back of its neck that it wished for Riley and Ripgill to follow it. Riley soon discovered why, as he found himself in a maze of smaller hallways. Where was he supposed to go? Which rooms lead where? As he followed the sound of the song, the little light that Ripgill's red eyes were emitting showed Riley that these halls, even the maze they were, had doors that connected them to other rooms and possibly even other halls- other mazes.

He eventually got close enough to the source of the relaxing sound to once again see its glowing blue eye. He observed that there were rune-like accessories on its wrists and just before the fin of its tail. There was a pattern on the smooth round surfaces that looked vaguely like waves. What were these accessories? Were they somehow natural, or had the Pokemon been given them by a human, or perhaps another Pokemon with crafting skills? Were they as ancient as they looked, or newer? Was this the last of this Pokemon species, or the only one of them- a legendary Pokemon, perhaps!?

He followed the beautiful Pokemon through the maze of halls until it guided him to a very unique room. There were several barrels of black tar, similar to the lobby of the building in the Power Source Fields. He proceeded.

The black tar was billowing out of the room like smoke from a smoke machine. Hadn't Team Delta's Leader asked Riley to come here? Was the singing Pokemon trying to help him by guiding him here? How pleasant of it!

Holding tightly onto Ripgill as to not be blown away by the pressure of the escaping black fluid, Riley urged Ripgill, whose mouth and gills were all tightly zipped by its zippers, to swim through the barrel-lined hall and towards the Pokemon.

The end of the hallway beheld a tall stairway leading up to a small door. He pushed his knees in against Ripgill's scales, ordering it to raise its body in the water. It swam upward until it was level with the doorway, then followed the beautiful Pokemon that they had been following through it.

Another stairwell. Like the room before, this hall showcased plenty of stairs. Though unlike the previous room, this hall was nothing but stairs. Riley had Ripgill swim up them until he encountered the Pokemon, who had stopped singing now that they were approaching the surface of the water.

He approached it, and it jumped out of the water, giggling as it did. It must have been having fun with Riley, he thought. He'd have to thank it, but how...? But it walked away, its walk alluring like that of a model as it headed up the stairs and through another door. Riley hopped off of Ripgill and returned it to its black-coloured PokeBall in the Pokemon Caller.


	26. Chapter 26

Riley was still underwater- he could tell because of the echoes of the movement of water pressing against the metal walls- but this area of the building wasn't submerged because of a property Riley understood but couldn't put words to. He followed the Pokemon through the door at the top of the stairs, but even though its song bounded off the walls, it was nowhere to be seen.

There were lights here, but they flickered and some even sparked when they flickered. Other than that, dim backup lights that hardly lit up anything also lined the room. Riley looked forward. There was a pitch-black silhouette of a womanly physique with long, full hair.

He approached it, and when he walked about halfway across the room, the door slammed shut. A red glow lit up the room. It also lit up the silhouette. It looked incredibly similar to the Pokemon that had guided him here, but this one had one red eye. The other side of its face wasn't covered by its hair like the other Pokemon, but where the other eye would be on a human, there was a vertical mouth that had sharp, glistening teeth!

It had the same hair as the blue-eyed Pokemon, but there were no shackle-like accessories on its wrists or tail, and its hair was made of strong-looking tentacles as opposed to the texture of fins. Its hands were much bigger and looked like claws that could slice through metal. Had they? It was Team Delta's Leader's assumption that it had been a Pokemon that had caused the oil spill.

The Pokemon stood up, exuding confidence. A snake-like tongue slithered its way out of its mouth as it hissed at Riley. "Syyy!" it screeched. It sounded so similar to the Pokemon that it resembled.

That was when Riley knew what was going on. It had lured him in! What was it planning to do to him?

The Pokemon swung its arm at Riley, the arm extending as it flew towards him! He gasped, then jumped out of the way! He couldn't escape, so he would have to face it! He sent out Corvekt, who spun its sword on its beak, then grasped it hard between its beak and struck a pose to show dominance!

"Syrienne!" it cried, its voice still a song but a rasp having overtaken it and making it sound dangerous and intimidating!

It spun on its fin-like foot, then stomped its other foot down to stop its spinning and flexed its arms. It put one of its fingers up to its chin and held the other to its side, trying to act cute but failing quite obviously.

Corvekt juggled its sword between its wings, making it spin and look flashy, then grabbed its sword with its beak and slashed through the air, giving Syrienne a sample of its skills.

Syrienne got the first move in! It clasped its two hands together and a shock wave of blackness vibrated through the air. It hit Corvekt, surrounding it with black electricity which shocked it. Dark Pulse, huh? Riley thought. That must mean that Syrienne, at least in this form, was Dark-type! He'd remember that!

Corvekt recovered from the Dark Pulse and used Leaf Blade, vines made of green aura wrapping around its sword before lighting it up lime-green. Then, it slashed its sword across Syrienne's stomach! It was super effective! But it only depleted Syrienne's health by about an eighth! This Pokemon was terrifyingly strong! By far, Riley's strongest opponent yet!

Syrienne used Sing, and sang the same song it had to lure Riley into its trap. Corvekt started to get dozy when it heard the song, but quickly covered its ears so that it could no longer hear the tiring song.

Corvekt retaliated by using Leaf Blade again! It performed the same actions as last time, but this time it built up more power in its beak and slashed harder. It still only did a little damage to Syrienne, though. Even though Syrienne's Dark Pulse attack alone had done about a quarter of Corvekt's health worth of damage. A single drop of sweat fell from Corvekt's head.

"Rennienne," Syrienne charmed. It spun like a ballerina on its fin-like feet, which resembled an aquatic version of those of the mythical Xerneas that Riley had heard and seen pictures of. It used Hydro Pump, but Corvekt narrowly avoided it!

The black bird Pokemon flapped its wings and took to the air! The ceiling here was tall, so it flew freely. Syrienne tried to use Hydro Pump again, but the water jet couldn't reach Corvekt because it was so high up!

It came down and rammed its beak into Syrienne. However, this attack did even less damage than the previous two Leaf Blade attacks! The Dark-type opponent used Sing again! "Ultrienne!" it sang. Corvekt couldn't avoid the song this time, and dozed off!

The Syrienne walked towards Corvekt's sleeping body. It cracked it knuckles and knelt down next to Corvekt's body. It opened its vertical mouth wide and started bending down towards Corvekt's chest!

Riley ran over and knelt down on the opposite side of Corvekt! He pulled the Pokemon in his direction, then wrestled an Awakening desperately out of his bag and sprayed it in Corvekt's beak like a breath freshener. Corvekt's eyes opened just in time to see Riley get picked up by Syrienne's strong claws!

The Trainer kicked and struggled in Syrienne's grip! Its strong hand lifted him off the ground and started pulling him toward herself. Corvekt jumped to attention when it saw this! Its eyes narrowed in rage.

Riley closed his eyes, knowing this was going to end badly and four forked tongues slithered their way out of Syrienne's mouth! Corvekt sprinted over, preparing a Leaf Blade as it ran towards Syrienne, ready to give it the pinnacle of all attacks!

It swung its Leaf Blade, this time with its wings as opposed to its beak, and a satisfying crack rang through the room as the wooden sword made contact with Syrienne's wrist! Syrienne's hand went limp, its fingers dramatically separating and throwing Riley backwards as the Water- and Dark-type Pokemon was sent also flying backwards!

Corvekt had landed a critical hit! Syrienne got up, stumbling on its feet as it tried to get up without using one of its hands. Its eye glowed indigo as it sang a song different from the one it had been singing until now.

Water from the floor below rushed to Syrienne, cloaking it in mist which soon turned pink for whatever reason. When the mist cleared, Syrienne had changed back to its previous form, the form it had been in before it had entered this room.

Its voice was once again soothing and sweet. The move it had just used was Drowning Song, which had converted it back to its less-monstrous form, its Siren Form. The form it had attacked Riley in was its Devourer Form.

It cleared its throat, then began to sing again. Corvekt couldn't help but listen to the pleasing and beautiful song. Unfortunately, this meant it was forced asleep. Riley returned it quickly before Syrienne could do anything else sketchy to the poor bird!

He sent Barksky, not entire confident in its ability to beat it while it was in its Psychic-type form. But, luckily for him, Syrienne used Drowning Song again, changing it back to its Dark-type Devourer Form!

Barksky used Brick Break, hitting Syrienne with a full-force karate chop right to the middle of the face! A critical hit, and super effective! Syrienne was in critical condition! It used Hydro Pump, bringing Barksky down about half of its health with a critical hit!

The furry grey Pokemon retaliated by using Brick Break again! Syrienne didn't faint, but it sure was close! It body language was practically screaming! It used Sing, but Barksky ran out of the room and submerged its head in the murky oil-infected water in the stairwell, the attack song not reaching its ears. Riley pet its back and it popped its head back up. Its white and grey fur was now stained black, but it shook it off. Its fur was still dirty after shaking the oil off, but it was at least not dripping.

Barksky ran back into battle immediately! It pounced on Syrienne, climbed up its body, then jumped off the top of its head! It reared up its pelvis and charged up another Brick Break! It smashed its hind legs into the back of Syrienne's head, and the Water- and Dark-type opponent finally fainted!

Riley was panting. He called Barksky's name and it came running back. Riley fell to his knees, putting his arms around Barksky's neck. He took a towel and some shampoo out of his messenger-style bag and washed the black residue off of Barksky's face, being very particular about it so that its fur was spotless. He gave it a kiss on its chilly, wet, black nose.

Riley stood up, and Barksky followed him as he walked towards what the Syrienne had been standing in front of. It was another doorway. He put his hand out and the doors slid open seamlessly.

Inside, there was an absolutely gigantic drum of oil which had several slash marks in it. A grating underneath both the drum and the pathway around it lead to the water below, the water somehow not reaching this height due to the same physics as a diving bell. However, the oil from the drum was leaking out into the water below.

How could he repair this, possibly? He pondered. Perhaps a Pokemon move? That's when he got a call on his PokeVice. He answered it.

"Riley," said the figure on the phone. Not even a hello first? His voice was calm and confident, villainous. Though that was to be expected from the Leader of Team Delta. How did that guy get his PokeVice contact anyway? Riley nodded, showing he was paying attention.

"Have you found anything?" asked the masked Leader of Team Delta. Riley explained what he had found and about this giant drum of oil that was leaking into the ocean. "That's a huge trouble..." Team Delta Leader paused to think. He thought for almost two minutes, and Riley soon got bored of waiting. He urged him on.

"Please, this type of situation requires great pondering," Team Delta Leader requested. "I think I have an idea, though. You still have your Flaradillo on your team, correct?" Riley nodded. That was correct. "Okay, good. And you have the Leafprancer Darwing?"

Riley nodded again. "Good," replied Team Delta's masked Leader. "Have Darwing fly metal sheets over- you should be able to find them around that wrecked place- and then have Flaradillo use a Fire-type move to weld them onto the drum. If we can stop the leakage from this particular drum, it should stop the major part of the oil spill. We'll have more time to deal with the other smaller barrels if we deal with this main barrel." That was a good idea after all.

"Wing!" Darwing chirped as it was sent out. It started grabbing metal plating that had fallen off of the walls and whatnot and Flaradillo used Ember to weld them onto the drum. For the most part, this stopped the leakage. It was done much sooner than Riley had expected it to be.

He took advantage of a spot in the grating that had been broken to send Ripgill down. He changed into Team Delta's diving wear and hopped on its back, returning Flaradillo and Darwing and Barksky to their PokeBalls before returning to the surface. Already the water was starting to clear. He was proud of his accomplishment. He tried to fight his sympathy for Team Delta, but he couldn't keep it from invading his mind.

"Hey Riley," Sandra waved when she saw the second Pokemon Trainer to have won the Hourglass Badge while it was hers to give- or more simply, Riley- coming. "Did you manage to fix the oil spill all by yourself?" Riley explained. "Really? That's awesome! Team Delta was even involved? That's hard to wrap my head around.

"Anyway, the Ferry Terminal in Peurt Town just reopened after somebody who asked to remain anonymous reported that the oil spill had been taken care of, even providing pictures. Want me to drop you off there?"

Riley pumped his fist! He was finally going to go to Peurt Town!

Sandra giggled. "Alright, sit down and strap on tight."


	27. Chapter 27

The small white boat pulled up in the designated area, which had been marked off next to the entrance into the Ferry Terminal where the ferries entered. Sandra got out of the boat carefully and tied it to one of the posts, then tied the back end to another of the posts. Then, she knelt down and extended her hand to Riley. He grabbed it and she helped him out of the boat and onto the harbour.

Riley and Sandra walked close to each other as they stepped up the metal staircase that lead up to the main level of the ferry terminal. The bestower of the Hourglass Badge held the heavy-looking glass-and-metal door open for Riley, who walked in, smiling at her graciously. "I'll see you later, then, huh?" Sandra smiled, half-closing the doors. Riley nodded and gave her a polite wave. "Alright! Visit me in Suncoast City, and don't forget!"

The Pokemon Trainer stepped out into the surprisingly busy shoreline town, Peurt Town. A tall, beautiful young woman wearing a tuxedo and stylish dress pants, all in navy blue, greeted Riley, "Hello there, sir! Welcome to Peurt Town, where you're never far from the sea! Our little town in built out of metals and foundation as an extension of the mainland in order to optimize the shipment of goods. Cool, right?"

Riley had zoned out about halfway through her introductory speech, but nodded and smiled anyway. The greeter stepped to the side and let Riley through the sliding glass doors of the Ferry Terminal. She was right, this town was completely made of metal. It was mostly flat with the only protrusions from the ground being cozy-looking but slightly boring rectangular homes that were made of the same material as the ground. Some people had painted them, which was nice, but it was a little odd of a design choice.

Hey!, he thought. This was a route through Chinocko he's never been through before! He decided that the first place he would stop would be the Pokemon Centre, which looked out of place being the only round building among several rectangular ones, but was recognizable for that reason.

As he went to the computer, he heard something from the television in the waiting area, "-art-Topper is Once Again Sung by Polleniah." Polleniah? The woman in the flashy, out-there, but somehow stylish outfit that faced against him in the Contest Palace the one time he decided to go? She was a popular musical artist, wasn't she? He listened in from the back of his mind as he focused on rearranging the Pokemon in the Virtual Paradise.

"Feel the sorrow, notice the pain! Don't let yourself get drowned by the rain, oh no!" sang a voice that was quieted in order for the news anchor to be heard better, but was still just loud enough for Riley to hear from this distance, and very recognizable. It was the exact same voice as the Polleniah from the Contest Palace. Did she always sound like an angel?

Her song went on, "I believe in you, like the truth and the lies that my heart pumps out! Yeah, I know better than to imagine what's behind your mask, but I know that if I try hard enough, I'll see the crystal in those eyes that no one has ever seen."

Huh, Riley thought. She really did deserve her spot as the week's Chart-Topper. Maybe he could accomplish that... if he could ever muster the courage to even open his mouth.

"Tooth!" Bluntooth purred. Excited to be a part of reality again, it rubbed its ice-covered cheek against Riley's leg, who smiled brightly and picked it up, giving it a nuzzle with his nose.

Riley put Bluntooth down and returned both of the Darwing he had taken with him into the PC. He sat down, putting Bluntooth in his lap. All of his Pokemon were fully-healed, so he didn't worry with healing them, but he did hear some of the staff behind the counter.

"Polleniah got the Number 1 spot on the charts again!" said one of the nurses with girlish excitement.

"Really? Awesome!" The girl who was being talked to, a worker at the PokeMart section of the Pokemon Centre, held tightly onto a box of goods that her customer had ordered. In the corner of the box was a small round slot that had an odd-coloured white PokeBall stuck in it. The girl carrying the box hopped up onto one of her feet and bent the other slightly with excitement upon hearing the news. Riley watched them the entire time.

Then, he turned back to the TV, where a new news story had come on screen. "Miraculously, the Oil Spill in Emerald Atoll has Been Cleared! Could Team Delta Have Been Behind It the Entire Time? What Does This Mean for the Citizens of Chinocko? Find out at 5 o'clock!"

He walked through the boring town. Boring was right. Everything was so flat and similar. Nothing particularly stood out. He got it, how extravagant can you make a man-made city? But did it have to be this generic?

He sat at the edge of the town, watching the boats below as they parted and docked and he observed their directions and the people he could see on them. They were all small and hard to make out from so high up above the water, but they were people at least. Anything to get him away from the constant of organized rectangles. Thankfully, he knew he didn't have to find a gym in this town. How would he even know what to look for?

"Time to shed my old skin and show the world what's really inside!" a young man, about Riley's age but only a year or so older, sang quietly as he walked down the street wearing stylish black headphones that had Pikachu ears on them that even lit up yellow!

Jeez, was everyone in this town obsessed with Polleniah? Riley proceeded past a number of people who were as generic as their home. In order to keep his bored mind from going crazy, he stopped to talk to a girl who was wearing a crop top that had a Meowstic on it and jean shorts that had ripped at her knees. "What's up?" she asked him. He told her a little about himself and that he just wanted to say hi. "Well, hi then! My name's Rosa, and I'm a big advocate for Berry Farming. Have a nice day, eh?"

Riley waved goodbye. Thankfully, he could see the end in sight. There was a makeshift Entrance Gate made out of a hollowed-out one of the rectangular pieces that made up the blasted lifeless town, and on the other side was a refreshingly grassy route. No big trees, no scorching sands, no hard rocks, no forest marsh. Just calm, soft grass.

In the distance, he could see a wall. It looked like a castle wall, but there was absolutely nothing within it that he could see. He walked forward, being careful to avoid the tall grass. An Eevee skittered from one patch of tall grass to the next, nearly running into Riley's foot and knocking him over. He also saw an Aractric in one of the trees. That Aractric better not hurt that Eevee...

As he progressed on, he saw a Pokemon that he wasn't familiar with. It had two legs and each of its two big feet had wide pads on their base. Its two legs were attached to a head that had two big, blue, round eyes that looked especially blue because they were hidden under the shadow of the mushroom cap on the Pokemon's head.

"Tooth!" Bluntooth hissed at it!

"Fongu!" it chittered, its voice cute and soft. It scurried around clumsily on its feet, then ran into a tree that was on the side of the path. Riley couldn't help but giggle.

Bluntooth used Ice Fang! It bit into the Pokemon's mushroom cap! It did regular damage. Riley could have sworn this was an Ice-type Pokemon!

"Fongoof!" it shouted, stomping its feet! It wasn't playing around anymore! Bluntooth's body tensed up. Riley noticed that spores from Fongoof's mushroom cap were on Bluntooth's snout fur. Did it ingest any? Probably, because it was Paralyzed!

"Fongu-fongu!" Fongoof cried. It skipped happily up to Bluntooth's tense body and used Leech Seed! It planted seeds in Bluntooth's fur that drew Bluntooth's health from it! Riley knew Bluntooth could take this! He had it Ice Fang again! Even though it was paralyzed, Bluntooth landed its hit, landing a critical hit no less!

"Fong... gu... oof..." it sighed as it spun around on one leg before fainting. After the battle, Riley saw someone approaching. He had on a long scarf that was hanging over his shoulders and not tied as well as an outlandishly bright jacket that flowed behind him like a robe. That wasn't Chinockan style at all. Was it anyone's style?

"I am Ross, a Musician from Peurt Town," he introduced himself. Riley figured such an unusual man would be the dramatic type. "Route 8 is a fine location, is it not? You can even get to Mount Charm from here. Unfortunately, though, that location is closed off at the moment."

Ross? A musician from Peurt Town? This was the guy who Sandra wanted the White Rose delivered to. Riley tried to get his attention, but he was already walking away by the time Riley realized what he had for this guy. "Sorry, I'm late for a gig," he chuckled, overdramatically gesturing with his hands. "I'll see you later, if fate would give me that."

Riley followed Ross back into Peurt Town. He followed Ross to his home, a rectangular building that had a guitar design painted on the glass front doors which made up most of the front wall. He was sitting at his piano when Riley arrived.

"You know," he smiled, his eyes closed as his fingers instinctively traveled over the keys. "My friend, I knew you'd come here."

Riley gasped!

"I'm no psychic, no." Ross continued playing his piano, but when he got up, it continued to play. "I've just got that allure to me, you know? That allure." He smiled conceitedly. "One just has to follow me. And one such as you- I could see when I looked into your charming grey eyes- would follow me all the way home." He moved over to his guitar, playing that next.

Ross chuckled, "Aren't I lucky my home is built of steel, Mr. Lycanroc."

Riley's face turned red and he started sweating warm, uncomfortable drops of moisture that made his clothes feel uncomfortable and tight.

Ross stopped playing his guitar, but notes continued to play from it. "I assume you want something from me?" Riley handed him the dome-shaped capsule that Sandra had given him for delivery. "A rose? For moi?" Ross fanned his cheeks with his glove-covered fingers.

"I'm flattered! But aren't you a little young for me, boy?" Ross put his fingers on the strings of a harp and then began plucking them. "Oh well," he sighed, smiling. "A gift, after all, is a gift." He stopped playing the harp, though it too continued producing notes even with no fingers on its strings.

"From Sandra, huh?" Ross grumbled, looking disapprovingly at Riley. "If you were going to ask a man out, my friend, I'd put your own name on the card." Ross continued reading, grabbing his glasses off the side table beside him mid-sentence to help him read. He held them just in front of his eyes rather then putting them on for whatever reason. Riley was getting extremely uncomfortable.

"Ross, I'd like to thank you for playing music for my mother's birthday party. She was feeling downright miserable after the loss of her Krookodile, and so was my father who had raised Krookodile alongside her. It was your old music that they say all the time was their first song that they danced together to. I knew it would bring up their spirits if their favourite composer from ten years ago," he stopped reading after that word. "Geez, is everyone so cruel to musicians in this day? All the credit and fame goes to the singers. Why I ought to..." He sighed and kept reading, "If their favourite composer from ten years ago played at my mother's birthday party. This rare White Rose that I got from a bouquet that a sweet girl visiting my father's hotel from the Alola region gave me is for you, as thanks for accepting my request to play at my mother's party. It wouldn't have been the same without you, thank you. Signed, Sandra."

He took a deep breath in. "Sandra... who was that again?" He put his finger to his chin. "Was she that really underdressed girl from Suncoast City with the outlandish hair and fetch watch on her wrist?"

He was one to talk, Riley said underneath his breath. Sandra was an accomplished and compassionate young girl not even terribly older than Riley himself. She'd inherited her family's Hourglass Badge and she also assisted in the oil spill at Emerald Atoll. And Ross had the guts to speak of her in vain?

"Oh well, thanks to her, I suppose. A truly touching letter, really. I think I even remember that party. My, her mother was beautiful with her form-fitted sundress. But anyway, since you're a delivery boy," Ross said, looking to Riley when he paused. "Right?" he questioned, making a questioning expression with his face, before swiping his hand lazily at Riley in disregard. "You can deliver this for me." He took a Rotom-inspired necklace off of the same desk where he had found- and now was in the action of putting back- his glasses. He handed the pretty jewelry to Riley.

"It's to Polleniah's agent, who is named Asia. Got it? Pol-len-i-ah. You know, the self-proclaimed chart topper? I was a chart topper in my day, you know? What Polleniah produces is... rubbish, really. Oh, anyway, it's for her agent." Ross put his hand on one side of his mouth and gave Riley a sideways glance as he moved his body in towards the Pokemon Trainer. "It's technically bribery, but I really want another chance at success. Even if it means I have to work with that trashy Polleniah," the musician whispered.

Riley started heading east again, and this time he proceeded all the way to the castle-style wall around what he could only guess was a city. There were three arches built into the wall, each one tapering into a triangular angle at the top. The central arch was a rather large glass door. The outer two arches were more like half-arches that merged into the main arch, the door. The outer arches each had windows inside them. The windows were all made of small squares of glass with black rods holding them all together, but the door was tall and grand.

Riley looked through the glass of the door. His jaw dropped as he saw what was inside. There were skyscrapers inside this city's wall. He ran back and looked at the wall from farther away. The skyscrapers were nowhere to be seen from this perspective! More shockingly, though, was that there was a fire surrounding the entire city. It wasn't inside the city, but conveniently blazing in a circle around the city. In fact, the circle of flames looked to be the same parameter as the inside of the wall around the city.

Riley read a plaque that was beside the door. "Malasarri City," it read. "Modern technology doing what once only our minds could."


	28. Chapter 28

He walked through the glass doors. Immediately, he noticed that this city was not doing so good at all. Pokemon of all species were rampantly causing damage. It was as if the city had been flipped on its head. Were they searching for something, the Pokemon?

He took a handful of paces forward before he was stopped by a Team Delta Grunt! "You! What are you doing here?" the Grunt, a young man with navy blue hair, which seemed to be the most popular hair colour amongst Team Delta, shouted, stopping Riley in his tracks.

Riley didn't bother giving an answer, only sent Bluntooth into battle!

"Mreow!" is roared!

"Fine, if it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!" the Grunt challenged, clenching his fists and throwing a PokeBall in Riley direction!

"Fongoof!" it giggled, jumping up and down on its big, clumsy feet. It launched ts attack at Bluntooth! It used Poison Beam, launching its drippy purple beam at Bluntooth! But Bluntooth took the hit very well! It used Ice Beam as opposed to Ice Fang, and Fongoof lost about half of its health.

The same followed in the following turn, and Fongoof ended up fainting because of it. But the opposing Team Delta Grunt was not done yet! "Racrook, it's up to you now!"

"Crooko!" its low, stuffy voice called as it puffed up its chest and let the fur that made up its very torn-up-looking cape blow behind it.

Bluntooth took its chance to attack! It roared, "Blunt! Bluntooth-blunt!" It had used Roar! Getting defensive, Racrook returned to its PokeBall and forced the other of the Team Delta Grunt's Pokemon out to battle!

"Koon-koon!" the Pokemon chittered. It was a Maskoon, just like Riley's. Riley wondered how his Maskoon was doing in the Virtual Paradise.

Bluntooth used Ice Beam on Maskoon! It landed a critical hit, causing Maskoon to faint!

"No!" the Team Delta Grunt shouted, distressed. "My poor Maskoon! Don't worry, buddy, you can have all the Pokemon Treats you want after this battle!

"Now Racrook, please try again! I believe in you!" He sent out Racrook again, and it took Bluntooth on! It used Rock Smash! It was super effective, and Bluntooth nearly avoided fainting!

But Bluntooth got back at Racrook! It used its new move, Aerial Ace! Bluntooth honed in on Racrook! Then, with pinpoint accuracy and speed so fast Riley couldn't even see Bluntooth perform the attack, Bluntooth slashed Racrook!

It was super effective, but Racrook still had half its health left! It used Rock Smash again, causing Bluntooth to faint!

Riley panicked! What would he do now!? He sent out Barksky! It managed to land its attack before Racrook could, using Brick Break and hitting it with full force right in the gut! Racrook fainted from the super effective attack, as well as the critical hit that Barksky had delivered!

"I'm sorry, Racrook! I worked you too hard, didn't I?" the Team Delta Grunt pouted, petting the exhausted Pokemon's chest as he let it lay down. He gave it a sweet-smelling Pokemon Treat that had a gooey center that made Racrook's snout sticky.

What a show, Riley thought. Team Delta didn't care about Pokemon if they were occupying this city while these Pokemon were acting like crazy. Riley took this opportunity to stop at the Pokemon Centre.

As he opened the glass doors, he heard Nurse Joy yell something. "Be ca-!" is all she could get out before she was interrupted.

"What'cha name!?" another Team Delta Grunt, identical to the one stationed outside, butted in. Riley refused to answer, so the Grunt urged him to, "Well? What's your name? If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked."

When Riley continued to refuse the Grunt's question, the Team Delta member became offensive! "Fine! if you want to be trouble, I'll show you what we do with trouble! Racrook! Go!"

"Crook-ara!" the Racrook called. It landed the first attack! It used False Swipe on Barksky!

Barksky used Brick Break on the Racrook, trying its best not to break anything inside the Pokemon Centre! Its attack, as a result of its carefulness, wasn't as strong and didn't do as much damage as it usually would.

Racrook attacked without the same level of care! It used Body Slam, and slammed its torso on top of Barksky's body! Barksky took critical damage! The canine Pokemon bounced back by using Brick Break again! This time, it used the wall to its advantage! Throwing Racrook off by running right for it, Barksky jumped onto the wall, then jumped off and slammed its paw forcefully into Racrook's jaw, where it was not expecting to be hit! Racrook was in critical condition now, but it had a Sitrus Berry, and ate it, restoring a good chunk of its health!

Racrook used Calm Mind. It took a moment to calm itself, preparing itself for the remaining time of the battle! Barksky used Howl! It tensed up its body and cried loudly up to the ceiling, raising its attacking spirits! Racrook tried to use Quick Attack, but its attack missed because it lost balance! Barksky, with its blood pumping after a good howl, used Brick Break one final time, absolutely smashing into the Dark- and Fighting-type Racrook!

Racrook fainted! It looked like that was this Grunt's only Pokemon too! "No! Not again! My poor Racrook is always getting beat up! I'll schedule you, my best friend, for the best massage my Team Delta paycheque can get you." With that, the Grunt nuzzled his nose against Racrook's nose and gave it a loving kiss just below its chin, rubbing its ears as it limped.

"Nurse Joy, would you please heal my Racrook in the meantime?" the Team Delta member begged. "I'll pay you anything. I just don't want to see my Racrook hurt."

"No, you delinquent! Get out of my Pokemon Centre!" Nurse Joy scolded. As the Grunt left, doing his best to carry Racrook out in his arms bridal-style, Nurse Joy turned her attention to Riley. "Oh thank you, young man. Please, give your Pokemon here."

Riley did, and he gt them all back at full health, raring to go! Nurse Joy had one more thing for Riley, though. "Take this." She handed him a can of Fresh Water. "You may need it, you never know. If you're going to be taking on Team Delta, you most likely will! Don't forget you have it!"

Riley headed outside again. He turned to his left, where the road continued. A Machamp was wrestling with a tall, lantern-styled lamp post that was hanging from a pole which lead high into the air from the sidewalk. The pole fell over, and immediately a Police Officer in dark clothing started setting up a blockade around the area.

"Poor Pokemon of Malasarri City can't control their actions," the cop began, knowing Riley was near as he worked, punching a code into one of the pillar his put on the road. As he finished typing the code, a cyan light-ribbon that had the word warning cut out of it stretched across all of the pillars on the ground. It was a very high-tech barricade. As Riley understood, the electricity from the pillars interacted with water particles in the air, causing them to solidify until the holograph was deactivated. He'd never seen anything like it outside of television, because most of Chinocko never had so much dangerous action going on. Especially not the southern region. Riley was really beginning to hate Central Chinocko.

The police officer continued, "The Pokemon in Malasarri City are used to a certain frequency that is emitted by the Mirage Station." He pointed to a rather small building that was puny in comparison to the skyscrapers around the city. "That's the Mirage Station. Using it, we control the holographic image that is projected onto the Illusory Dome on top of the city's wall. Anyway," he took a breath, "the Pokemon have now been introduced to a new frequency that Team Delta is broadcasting from the Mirage Station and it's making them all aggressive.

"This is my Machamp here. Can't even get him to snap out of it with my police equipment. And now he's causing serious electrical hazards!"

"Hey, watch out!" the cop yelped to Riley!

A Noivern swooped down from the rooftop of one of the skyscrapers! Riley barely ducked out of the way! He watched the Noivern fly across the road, using its claws to rip the concrete up! What a terrible situation.

He ran up to the Mirage Station as fast as he could! Whatever was going on had to be stopped! Even if he had to stop it himself!

Inside was Team Delta's Leader! Riley knew he wasn't to be trusted! "You've found it?" the Leader of this terrible organization asked the person on the screen. The person on the screen was Azura! The tall, young girl with the long, dark-blue hair and the emotionless face!

She responded, "Yes, Master. It turns out the next Medallion Shrine isn't located in Malasarri City at all, but instead in Malasarri Tunnel, just outside of Malasarri City."

"Good work, Azura," the deadpan anonymous man said, a smirk crossing his face. "I'm proud of your work. It seems having Maika on our team has proven a great advantage to us."

"Absolutely, Master!" Azura, to Riley's shock, smiled. "His powers of illusion are most useful! And we can't forget those sweet Diglett and Drilbur that helped us dig through the cave to our destination!"

"What does the Medallion Shrine look like? What Legendary Pokemon does it belong to?"

Azura replied, "It appears to be the Wolf's own Medallion Shrine. This is the Medallion Shrine that the ancient Chinockan people sealed deep in the mountains in hopes that tectonic movement would conceal from humanity for the rest of time. Unfortunately for them, we're more determined than that!

"Huh?" She averted her single visible eye from her Leader to Riley. "You!"

"What?" Team Delta's Leader gasped, turning around with surprise. "Ah, a coincidence finding you here."


	29. Chapter 29

Riley took on an offensive stance, clenching his fists and lowering his body, spreading his knees a bit to stabilize himself. His oral expression became a sneer. Team Delta Leader turned off the computer through which he was communicating with Azura. "Hello there, Riley. Pleasure to see you here.

"Gotten any stronger since last?" he asked. In response, Riley nodded. Maybe, but unlikely, he could could intimidate Team Delta's Leader with his strength, saving himself a fight.

"Bark-sky!" Barksky called out as it was sent out from its PokeBall. When it saw Team Delta's Leader, it growled.

"Hello, as well to you, Barksky. You ready for a battle, then?"

"Rrrrr..." Barksky growled, lowering his torso to the ground when he heard Team Delta's Leader's question.

"I feel sick having to do this... Pokemon should obey humans out of trust, not be forced to obey them with the use of force. That's why I hate shock collars and frequency-emitting training devices...

"But here I am, using one myself... All of the Pokemon under this spell; none of them deserve it." Team Delta's Leader sighed. "But we've managed to use their power to open a path to the Divine Wolf's Shrine. I will set them free now."

With a sigh of relief as the tenseness in his shoulders faded, the Leader of Team Delta inputted a code into the holographic-screened computer he was working at, and the ring of fire around the city immediately changed, even though Riley couldn't see it himself. And the Pokemon were all released from their hypnotic spell.

"What a relief... I will never be able to forgive myself for that. But it was necessary to achieve a goal that will, in the long-term, benefit Pokemon irreplaceably." With that, he left. No combat, no conflict. He just left. He seemed a lot happier when he was finally able to turn off the frequency-emitting machine, though.

"Are you the one who returned the projector back to normal?" asked a smart-looking scientist who entered the Mirage Station. Riley explained what happened. The scientist, rubbing his chin as his platinum-blonde hair rustled in the high-powered air condition, replied, "So that cruel man shut off the hypnotic frequency without even needing provocation? What is his deal?

"I'm Avery, the Manager and Inventor of the Mirage Station. I created the Illusory Dome to conceal Malasarri City from dangers such as Legendary Pokemon. Why don't you go out and see Malasarri City how it's meant to be seen?"

The city was still broken, but that didn't surprise Riley. It, after all, had been ravaged by hypnotized Pokemon of all strengths and sizes. What was surprisingly- intensely so- was that it looked like the city was just floating in space! The holographic projections on the city's walls and ethereal ceiling-dome made it look like it was casually cruising through outer space. Star clusters and rock belts were visible in a fake distance. Occasionally, even a three-dimensional comet rode by through the sky, barely missing the tops of the skyscrapers.

Riley was awed. "This lifestyle is all possible because of the Mirage Station's technology. Malasarri City has become a wonder of the world for it holographic advancements, which, I say humbly, were kickstarted by me. Come back inside, I have a gift for you."

So Riley followed Avery back inside. Avery was now standing in front of the computer that Team Delta's Leader had been using. "This," he said, holding up a thumb drive that had an unmistakable eye logo on it, "is an Illusion Drive. These are what hold the data to create the different holographic projections within Malasarri City.

"There's currently three to choose from, but there are others that have been created by companies outside of Malasarri City. There's a total of seven Illusion Drives in Chinocko. My technology suggests an eight, but it cannot confirm that it is in the region. In fact, it can't confirm that it's in this dimension.

"But anyway, come on. As thanks for saving the entire city, I'll let you choose the holograph you want projected on the city whenever you like." Avery used the computer and brought it to a screen that had a list of icons. There were seven slots, but only three of them were filled in with sea-green-coloured tabs. One tab said "Space," which was the holographic projection that was currently on the city's humanly-unreachable walls. A box beside the list of tabs and empty slots showed a preview of the city which looked to be accurate to a live feed.

The second available tab said "Virtual Reality," and had a preview of a world of code and 1s and 0s and portals. The third said "Underground." Its preview showed the city in a cave that vertically was never-ending. Ironically, the entrance and exit of the city were in the direction of the endless and ever-darkening hollow paths and not the walls of the cave which seemed much closer to the city. This technology was fascinating!

Ultimately, though, Riley kept the Space option. "Alright, good choice!" Avery complimented Riley. "Hey, you have a PokeVice, I see." With a smile on his face, the clever scientist asked, "May I register your contact?" Riley nodded, confirming that he was happy to have Avery's contact on his PokeVice. They traded their Pokemon Device contact information and Riley was off. His next Gym Battle would be in Malasarri City, actually!

Malasarri City was well-known for having an illusionist as its Gym Leader. Many Trainers failed to receive his badge because they couldn't focus on their target. But Riley would not fall prey to those tricks!

He ran up to the Gym, which was a more traditional building; or at least not a skyscraper like many of Malasarri's buildings were. It was cube shaped, but it had chunks missing out of it. Incidentally, the chunks were all made of cubes, and many of the missing cubes could be seen floating in the air around the Gym, just casually defying gravity. Notably, though, was that there was a black top hat on the roof that had a leather belt around its rim where most top hats would have a ribbon. That was the Gym Leader's key fashion article, many said. Or, in this case, the one on the roof was a replica of it.

Riley walked up to the doors, which is when he noticed something that couldn't be right. The Team Delta symbol was being projected by lights on the walls onto the glass doors, and they were locked! What had Team Delta done with Gym Leader Maika!?

Fine then, he would just have to move forward. He headed over to the other entrance into the city and walked through the huge glass doors. Riley wasn't familiar with Malasarri Tunnel, and wasn't at all expecting what he saw.

The cave had, apparently, once been a basin in which water collected. That much was evident because coral reefs and undersea plant life were still living on the stone and sand of the ground. Riley felt a drop of water on his shoulder, so he looked up. What he found shocked him!

There was a lake's worth of water just sitting in the air above him! Well, that wasn't the entire truth. There was a layer of clear glass in between the water and the ground. The glass even split into diamond-shaped crystals in some places, and a few places were dripping because the water was slowly soaking through the filter of the crystal substance.

A very, very prestigious aquifer, this one was. Riley remembered, Team Delta was supposedly in this tunnel. The tunnel had a fairly straight path, but so many different halls were carved into the cave that it would be impossible to tell which one Team Delta was in.

"Gelon!" a Pokemon's voice cried in desperation!

That was the same voice as the Pokemon that had spoke to him in the beginning of his adventure and given him the Wolf Medallion Shard! He had to find it and help it! He could follow its voice through the halls of the cave to find it! If only it didn't echo so much.

Aha! He could tell he was getting closer to the source of the cry! Another thing that gave it away was the white tiles that were placed in seemingly random spots on the cave's floor. The ceiling-lake was absent in the smaller halls, making them dark and intimidating, but the sea fauna and the oceanic rock aesthetic still remained strong.

The white tiles were getting more clustered now. In fact, Riley could see that not far down this hall was a wall made of the same white tiles, the tiled floor before the door showing no sign of the ground beneath it. Riley stood in front of the door and it slid open.

Inside was one of the people he was expecting to see. The other of the two people in this dug-out cave room was a complete surprise to him. It was Gym Leader Maika! The Gym Leader was even in a Team Delta uniform! Riley gasped to see it!

The room was exactly the same as the other two Medallion Shrines he'd been to, but this one had a giant statue of a wolf-like Pokemon that had a huge, majestic mane that ran down its chest and back and had minerals in it that reflected all colours of the rainbow. This was the worshiped Legendary Pokemon: Crowlican'l. Its eyes were majestic and sapphires were used to make the pupils of its statue.

"You again!?" Azura practically screamed, stomping her foot hard on the ground of the dais in front of the statue. "Well your late, Team Delta's Leader already retrieved the Wolf Medallion Shard from me." She moved her long, straight dark-blue hair out of her eye. "In the meantime, we're taking advantage of Angellion, this pesky Legendary Pokemon brat here."

She moved her hand to gesture for Riley to look at said Pokemon. It was the same Pokemon on the totem at the Medallion Shrine back between Route 1 and 2! Riley tried to run forward to help it, but he was stopped by Maika, who was hovering over the ground, one leg straight and the other bent just slightly as his red and black cape fluttered gently in the air, the force he was using to hover making his cape move.

"I can't let you do that, you little runt!" Maika said, deadpan at first before he began shouting. "Team Delta needs that Angellion's power to create a world that will benefit all, and I'm not letting a naïve kid get in the way! My dearest Azura, I will protect you and our operation!"


	30. Chapter 30

Maika took a hand of four cards out of his chest pocket and showed them to Riley. Each had a PokeBall on it. One was a Dusk Ball, two a regular PokeBall, one an Ultra Ball. He juggled them in his hands, bending them so that they flew between both his palms like crossing an invisible bridge. He threw the Dusk Ball card into the battlefield vicinity and it started floating in the air. Maika yanked the air as if there were a rope in it and the card came back to him, but a real three-dimensional Dusk Ball had appeared where the card had been!

"Niuu! Suiun!" called a Pokemon with rabid determination! A puff of smoke that had sparkles in it that looked like stars spewed out of the Dusk Ball which had seemingly appeared from thin air!

Riley panicked; maybe he would fall for Maika's tricks! And not even in a Gym Battle, he would fall to an opponent fully capable of ending his entire journey under the influence of Team Delta!

"Too-lunb!" hissed Bluntooth as the familiar circular Pokemon emerged from the cloud of purple, blue, pink, and white smoke it had created. Bluntooth arched its back and lowered its chest, stabilizing itself! It pounced!

Its claws were covered in a shadowy aura that extended to the length of katanas and slashed into the opposing Saturnius, which was cut about half its health! It retaliated! It used Psychic, releasing its gas and send it over to Bluntooth. The star-resembling sparkles in the gaseous cloud all launched a pink beam at Bluntooth! But Bluntooth only took about a quarter of its health worth of damage!

"Saturnius, use Recover!" Maika ordered his Pokemon. He flourished a hand of cards, making it into the shape of a paper fan, and threw one of the cards to Saturnius. This card had a pink heart on it, and the heart cast a similarly-coloured light on the spherical Pokemon. Its eyes curled upward, happy to have been healed. When the light went away and the healing stopped, the card fell to the ground like a normal paper should have much sooner.

It was now Riley's turn! He narrowed his eyes and struggled to keep a calm composure. He managed, though, and called out to Bluntooth! "Tootharr!" the Pokemon growled, expressing its attention to its Trainer. It used Shadow Claw again, going for Saturnius' face this time! Its dark ethereal claws hit dead-on, leaving scratch marks on Saturnius' face that leaked a liquid similar to its gas.

Saturnius spun around in the air, impatient for directions. Maika took four cards out of his Team Delta uniform's jacket's waist pocket and showed them to Riley. One had an eye, one had a heart, one had a feather on it, and the last had a circle of five stars on it. He threw them into the air and they spun around the illusionist like a magnetic forcefield. He caught one as it was spinning around him and, with his other hand, snapped his finger, causing the cards to warp to it. He read the card he had randomly selected. "Confusion."

"Sa-sa!" Saturnius hissed. It produced enough galaxy-like gas to fill the room, making the room look like a galaxy- like Malasarri City looked like- and then it spun around rapidly, throwing both Bluntooth and Riley off their guard.

Riley was sweating under his hat. His hair felt warm on his head. What could he do now? He ordered Bluntooth to try and strike again, but the Pokemon tripped and fell from its confusion, injuring its foot!

Riley sent out another Pokemon! He sent out Barksky. Barksky didn't know any Ghost-type moves, or Bug-type moves. But it did know Bite, a Dark-type move! "Barrarf!" Barksky howled as it chomped down on the ring around Saturnius' body.

"Saee!" the tiny spherical Pokemon squealed. It retaliated by trying to use Confusion again. It filled the room with a galaxy of sparkle-stars once more, but Barksky didn't fall for it! The attack had failed!

Barksky attacked again, chomping down hard, this time on the Saturnius' forehead! It was a critical hit! Saturnius fainted!

"Saturnius," Maika said flatly. "You fought well." Maika threw the Dusk Ball at his Pokemon and Saturnius was sucked in in the form of a white beam. The magician then spun the Dusk Ball on the tip of his finger. When it stopped spinning- to Riley's surprise- it was a Ultra Ball.

Maika shouted, "Syrienne, I need your help!" He threw the Ultra Ball onto the battlefield! Emerging, a beautiful Syrienne in its Siren Form. It sung its call and Riley's eyes narrowed.

He recalled Barksky and sent out Corvekt! The large-chested Pokemon unsheathed its blade, ready for battle! "Corv! Vekta-vekta!"

Maika shuffled a deck of cards, then let them hover in the air before him. He took off his hat and placed it under where the cards were hovering. Tapping the hat with the wand he summoned out of thin air, a prosperous-looking flower slithered into bloom from within the top hat. Its bloom opened up, a card inside. The card had a black-coloured eye similar to the purple-red ones on the cards that Maika used for Saturnius.

"Drowning Song!" Maika ordered. He slashed the flower at its stem and it slithered back into the top hat, the part that broke off turning to dust.

"Syre!" Syrienne sang. A dark, unsettling wave of water overtook its slick body, transforming it into its disgusting but alluring Devourer Form.

Corvekt used Leaf Blade, summoning greenery which sprouted on its wooden broadsword before it gripped the handle of the sword in its beak and slashed Syrienne across the face!

"Rienne!" A demonic singing voice emerged from the siren-like Pokemon's sharp-toothed vertical mouth.

Syrienne attacked again, using Shadow Claw! It brought back its huge hand and covered its fingertips in shadowy aura! It threw its huge tentacle-like hand forward, slashing harshly across Corvekt! But Corvekt retaliated, striking its wrist with another Leaf Blade!

One more Leaf Blade would probably take out Syrienne at this rate! Riley clenched his fist! He had beef with the Syrienne species! The Syrienne attacked Corvekt with a Water Pulse! It sang, and its song created a sound wave so strong it draw power from the moisture in the air and the water came crashing down on Corvekt!

Corvekt held its broadsword in one wing and ran the feathers on the tip of its other wing along the broad end of its sword, centering its focus. It closed its eyes and breathed deeply. From the handle, glowing green vines wrapped around the sword. At a steady pace, the vines continued wrapping themselves around the sword until it was coated in a pleasing-looking layer of vines. The green glow intensified and Corvekt slashed as hard as it could over Syrienne's chest!

The aquatic Pokemon let out an ear-splitting scream as it fainted, returning to its Ultra Ball. Maika let his expression intensify, understanding the importance of emotional expression. "Rrrgh!" he growled, gritting his pearly-white teeth!

He placed the Ultra Ball into his hat and drew out a regular PokeBall. He let the PokeBall slowly hover down into place on the battlefield. A Pokemon emerged from it. "Kada!" it spoke.

Riley sent Barksky back into the battle! The Pokemon was raring to go! Its tail was even wagging! It jumped onto the gold-skinned Pokemon's chest and bit it using Bite! "Dabara!" the Pokemon screeched. It threw Barksky off of it and used Psychic.

It lifted Barksky off the ground with telekinesis, then sent all of the telekinetic force into the canine's body. "Kadabra!" it proudly sneered.

Barksky used Bite again, this time landing its attack on Kadabra's waist! Kadabra shook Barksky off of it and used Psychic again! But this time, Barksky dodged the attack! It bit down hard on the opposing Kadabra's chest, causing the Pokemon so much pain that it fell unconscious!

"Ugh!" Maika grunted, his eyes going narrow and straining from the pressure he was under. "I can't fail! If I do, Team Delta's ideal world could be jeopardized!" He took a deep breath and clenched his fist. He tipped his hat, making its shadow fall on his face, making a shroud of mystery. He opened his eye and it glowed white in the shadow of the magician's top hat.

"Riley, you will know the pain your Pokemon go through for you!" Maika screamed! "Crysmalyte, go!"

He sent out a prism-like Pokemon whose rocky body reflected the lights around it, creating spectra of colour. The source of its consciousness was most likely the blue light that was hidden inside the glassy transparent stone.

"Cryms!" Crysmalyte cooed. Its blue energy body fluttered within the crystals encasing it as it spoke.

"Crysmalyte, the Spectral Pokemon. Psychic-type. Crysmalyte are unique and very unknown Pokemon. Their bodies are made of energy that grows incredibly strong. When the emotional energy of an area peaks, the crystals that make up Crysmalyte's body could be formed. However, very little is known about their ethereal insides. The colour of their energy corresponds to the emotional energy that created them. This will shape their view of life for the rest of their lives."

Meanwhile, Barksky was lifted into the air. It struggled to keep its dominance-expressing stance, but it couldn't. It whimpered as it could feel Crysmalyte's psychic pressure on its body.

A white light shot out of the button on one of Riley's PokeBalls, but he didn't notice it. Bluntooth landed on its feet, its body pulsating with white light. The white light grew so strong that Riley couldn't resist noticing.

Bluntooth's small, weak physique was pumped into a majestic, strong feline body. The ice armour it had made also intensified, protecting an ever greater area of its body. It developed a row of white stripes on its back and its tail elongated. On the tip of its tail, an ice dagger formed, and the fangs in Bluntooth's mouth extended, sharpening! The fang on the right side of Bluntooth's mouth was covered in the same ice as its armour!

"Saburr!" what was once Bluntooth meowed, taking in a few breaths in its new body before crouching down, looking ready to pounce! Saburr pounced on Crysmalyte and used Ice Fang on it! The mineral-bodied Pokemon fell out of the air, its energy body pulsing and turning red as it felt pain.

Barksky plummeted out of mid-air. Saburr jumped! Just before Barksky hit the ground, Saburr caught it on its back. It laid it down on the ground next to Riley's feet and looked up at its trainer. It was considerably bigger than it was as a Bluntooth, but it was still below Riley's eye level. At least, standing on four legs it was.

It nudged his hand with its cold, bloody-pink nose, then jumped back into battle! Riley scanned it with his PokeDex, as excited as possible! His PokeDex read out to him, "106, Saburr. Ice- and Fighting-type. The Sabertooth Pokèmon. Saburr are nearly fearless, and will attack almost any enemy if provoked. This bravery comes from them having lived in a time when much larger Pokémon, like Mamoswine, roamed the land in whole hoards. They, like their unevolved forms, cover their bodies in ice, but they also craft weapons out of the ice they produce, like spears, which they use with their tails."

Crysmalyte's energy spiked inside its crystals, the visible edges burning red. It began emitting an ominous ringing sound from its crystal body as the energy of its conscience expanded, encompassing first the crystals and then the entire room. It forced its way into Saburr's mind, making it fight with its own emotions.

In shock, Riley ordered Saburr to use Ice Beam! It roared, preparing to use the attack! But Crysmalyte's hypnotic Confusion caused it to slip up, causing it to overcharge its Ice Beam and hurt itself. Crysmalyte used Rock Polish. It used the heat from its conscious energy to melt its crystals. Doing this increased its aerodynamics and speed.

Saburr struck again, using Ice Beam! It charged up a cold mist in its mouth and used the mist to freeze the thick water content in the air of the tunnel! The water vapour solidified, smashing into the Psychic- and Rock-type opponent! It hit!

Crysmalyte used Psychic, lifting Saburr off the ground. The Pokemon took on a doggy-paddle as it struggled to remain ground-bound. But when it was up in the air, Crysmalyte exerted incredible amounts of psychic pressure onto its body! Saburr roared in pain!

Even before it fell out of Crysmalyte's Psychic, Saburr got ready to pounce! Straight out of mid-air, the feline pounced on its mineral opponent, burying its ice-coated fangs into the rocks! A crack broke out on one of the crystal protrusions, and Maika, screaming in disappointment, had to withdraw his Pokemon before its life was threatened!

"You little naïve brat! Your world is going to end, do you not understand!? We're going to save you and everyone you know! Why do you stand in our way!?" Maika's eyes strained as he yelled, unable to contain his anger. The ground beneath where he was hovering above went ablaze, though the fire was merely aesthetic.


	31. Chapter 31

Maika clenched his white-gloved fist until Riley could see his arms becoming veiny. "Azura, I must request that you take this battle on yourself! I've protected you and the operation as best as I can!"

"Calm down, Maika." Azura sighed and moved her long hair out of the only eye of hers that Riley had seen as of yet. "It doesn't matter. Win or lose, we'll lose this world to our own kind. We'll be left with the burden of guilt from our greedy human species whether we complete this operation or not."

Then, she looked at Riley and how determined he was to stop her. "But you." She glared at him, her expression intensifying. "I haven't battled you yet. You've been a step behind this entire time, haven't you?" Her permanent frown morphed into a terrifyingly passionate grin. "Take me on, runt! Show me what I'm fighting for! Show me just how cruel a human can be; I don't know well enough already!"

Azura, emotionless, sent out her opening Pokemon. "Go, Syrienne," she said blankly.

"S'ren!" it sang.

Riley sent out Corvekt! "Vekta!" it honourably exclaimed, puffing up its chest!

"Drowning Song."

"Renne-ien!" Syrienne sang, a torrent of black water swallowing it and transforming it into its gruesome Devourer Form! It flexed its strong fingers, cracking them against each other. It danced around gracefully, despite how ugly and terrifying it was.

Corvekt used Leaf Blade, as it always did facing against Syrienne! It achieved a critical hit because it hit Syrienne when it had its guard down! Syrienne counter-attacked with Bite, though! It grabbed the medium-sized bird in its huge, strong hands and then chomped on it with its vertical jaws!

It crowed in pain, but jumped back, striking again with its broadsword of wood! This time, though, the wooden sword was encased in iron! It used Iron Slash, a move it had apparently just learned! It hit Syrienne as its guard was down, causing it to faint!

"You're not bad..." Azura sarcastically complimented Riley. "But I already knew you were cruel. How do you train your Pokemon, huh?

"Bellyfish!" She threw a Dive Ball into the battlefield, and a creature that had a bell as its body which had a bunch of tentacles out of the bell's mouth came out in a whirlpool of bubbles.

Riley presumed this was an evolution of Bellyp, given its bell-resembling appearance. He held his PokeDex up to it. It read, "Number 34, Bellyfish. Water- and Ghost-type. The Bell Pokèmon. Bellyfish aren't actually as solid as their bell disguise would have one think. They're actually very squishy and light. The tongue of the bell is actually the Pokèmon's tongue as well, and it can release a toxin to paralyze its prey. Bellyfish, however, are much more docile than Bellyp, and won't attack humans on purpose. However, because of their habitat and large numbers, humans are often accidentally harmed by their toxins."

Riley had Corvekt attempt for the first hit! It used Leaf Blade, striking Bellyfish's soft bell-resembling skin! A cut opened up, but it only went through one layer of skin! Bellyfish used Hypnosis, and Corvekt was sent to sleep!

It bobbed over to Corvekt and tried encompassing it with its tentacles. But Riley returned Corvekt just in time! He replaced Corvekt's position with Barksky! Bellyfish released a toxin that filled the air with black smoke and looked like it had sharp-toothed plasma mouths floating around in it. Was this Dream Eater? Thank goodness Barksky was awake!

Riley ordered Barksky to use Bite! It pounced on top of Bellyfish's non-toxic head, and then let its dark intentions strengthen. When it bit into Bellyfish's thin flesh, the Pokemon took severe damage from the super effective attack!

"Fish-bell!" it cried, in pain. "Bellyf!" That was what Bellyfish said when it used Shadow Claw! It created ghostly claws out of its tentacles and slashed each one at Barksky! But all of the scratches went right through Barksky because it was Normal-type, although also Ice-type!

Barksky used Bite again, making Bellyfish faint! Azura yelped, "My Bellyfish!" before she recalled it into its PokeBall. "Alright, Mooslide, it's your turn!"

A Pokemon appeared that had strong-looking muscles and thick ivory antlers that created about 5 bowl shapes. Water had collected in the bowls, and little tiny waterfalls flowed from one bowl to the one below. It had visually-pleasing silvery fur on its body that was tinted with a masculine brown hue.

"Moose!" it proudly cried out! It used Rock Smash! It rammed into Barksky with the force of a wrecking ball smashing into a rock, and the little canine fainted!

"Vekta coo!" Corvekt cawed, taking Barksky's place! It readied its sword, green vines wrapping around it like snakes! It slashed through Mooslide faster than any of the Pokemon Trainers could see, leaving Mooslide on its knees! But the hefty-bodied Pokemon got up and used Aqua Ring! It used the water inside the basins in its antlers to heal itself slightly.

"Use Rock Smash." Azura blankly ordered. "I love you, my Mooslide."

"Moose!" it roared as it charged at Corvekt! Corvekt couldn't move out of the way in time, getting rammed with the force of a wrecking ball, like Barksky had! It fainted!

Riley gasped! Corvekt was down! He couldn't use Flaradillo against a Water-type specialist like Azura! Saburr was his only remaining option! "Bruur!" it purred.

Its tail flicked as it sized up its opponent. It looked back to Riley. What sort of attack could it use? Mooslide was Water- and Normal-type, so it couldn't use Shadow Claw. It didn't know any Fighting-type attacks, so Crunch, an upgraded, more powerful version of Bite, which it knew, would have to do!

It pounced, landing right in front of the Mooslide which was much bigger than itself. It chomped down hard on Mooslide's chest, and the reeling of the large opponent caused some water to splash out of the basins in its antlers.

"Burr!" Saburr screeched as it hit the wall! Before it could even process it, Mooslide had rammed into it with more force than a truck, sending it flying! It was on the verge of fainting, but got up. Riley panicked, every little thing a threat to his survival. He looked around frantically in his bag for anything at all to help Saburr with!

That was it! Dad had given him the other half of an Oran Berry Pie that they'd shared when he went home a couple days ago! In the glass air-tight container, it was as fresh as it had been coming out of the oven. It was even warm, and the familiar scent calmed down Riley.

Mooslide was charging for Saburr again! Saburr didn't have the energy to dodge! Riley looked at the Mooslide, then at his beloved Pokemon, then at Mooslide, and then at Saburr! He didn't have any choice! He booked it towards Saburr!

He rushed the pie into Saburr's mouth, just grabbing it in his palm, crushing the crust and getting the filling all over his fingers as well as Saburr's snout. He braced for impact, his breaths progressively growing shorter as he heard Mooslide's clambering getting louder- closer. His heart pounded. Humans were weak. Pokemon could obliterate the human population with their power. So why didn't they? Why did they let weak, inferior humans control them?

Riley felt warm fur and cold ice brush against his body. It was Saburr's tail, the tip of which was cloaked in ice. Riley looked up, his entire world moving at a mind-bendingly slow rate. Everything returned to its panicking fast speed when Saburr was no longer standing in front of him. Saburr had guarded him from Mooslide's Rampage attack! Riley felt cold water splash on his pants, the towering Mooslide standing over him. He ran out of the way and took a battle-ready position again!

"Risking your health to protect a Pokemon... heh," Azura looked at Riley, her gaze softening. "You're not so bad, after all. It's truly a shame you don't understand the true nature of our goals. You'd fit perfectly into the New World."

New World? What could Team Delta possibly be planning? Every new bit of information he gathered on them made them seem capable of ending the world. He shook his head and thought, No, now was not the time to think about that. He just had to beat the rest of Azura's Pokemon. She had five PokeBalls on the chain on her skirt, and she was using her third Pokemon now. So that meant there were two more left after he defeated Mooslide!

Saburr used Crunch again, following the same actions as it did before! Except this time, its determination allowed it to strengthen its attack, making it land critical damage! Mooslide fell to its knees, unable to battle!

Azura was practically grinning now. "Your bond with your Pokemon is impressive. You're a perfect fit for Team Delta, Riley. My apologies for opposing you so long. I've been depressed all my life; then, I met my first Pokemon, a Raindeer."

She knelt down, putting her hand on her exhausted Mooslide's back and rubbing it tenderly. "This is the evolved form of that Raindeer, my dearest Pokemon. You see, Pokemon are the only things in this world that make me happy. Yet, people treat them as expendable assets to feed their greed. They use them to produce products, they use them as labourers. I can't stand for that. Trainers like you make me hopeful for the future of Pokemon, people, and this entire world.

"Will you join us, Riley?" She stood up, her expression so much softer than it had been when she saw him on the screen back in the Mirage Station.

"Azura," Maika tried getting out of his throat.

"No, Maika. I truly believe Riley would be among the best fit Pokemon Trainers for Team Delta's plans. Riley, as part of Team Delta, our Pokemon always come first. I can see you feel the same. We just want the world to be made better for all Pokemon. You're young, and I don't expect you to think our actions are justified by our goals. However, you can't always do good by doing the right thing. And you can't always do the right thing by doing good."

Riley's expression, opposite to Azura's, hardened sternly. Was she honestly asking him to join Team Delta? Saburr growled too, stepping in front of Riley to guard him. "Is that a..." Azura sighed. "Is that a no, then?"

Riley nodded. No. No, there was no way he would join Team Delta! Though... No. They didn't deserve sympathy either. They were doing terrible things. They were emotionless, and not even Azura's monologue could dissuade him of it.

He sprayed a Super Potion that he'd purchased earlier on Saburr, restoring it to more or less its full health. "Fine. A shame, Riley," one of Team Delta's Commanders, Azura, sighed. "You'd fit right in.

"Maskalmon, it's your turn!" she sent out a Maskalmon. It had been a while since Riley encountered a Maskalmon. A water-type Pokemon, Riley didn't really have any ideal way of attacking Maskalmon. He'd just have to make sure Saburr could pull out for him!

He pet the back of its ears and its neck. He didn't show his Pokemon enough affection. That was true of Azura's words. He rubbed its back tenderly, then ordered it to attack!

Saburr pounced on Maskalmon, ripping into it with its teeth like it was ready to eat it! Maskalmon chirped in pain, and managed to wrestle out of Saburr's claws. Its computer chip-bearing tag moved as if it were an extension of its tail, not seeming to be affected by gravity and looking like a ballet ribbon, in essence.

It summoned an Aqua Ring and restored some health, then swam to Azura's feet where a plastic container of leftover food was waiting for it. It took a nibble of the leftovers and further restored more health. Saburr attacked again, trying to use Crunch on it, but its attack missed! Maskalmon used Hydro Pump, and landed a critical hit on Saburr by hitting it right in the chest with the water jet! Saburr went into critical condition.

Riley's body went tense. He didn't have very many healing items left. He looked at Azura. She looked so confident, unlike she ever had before. Her permanent frown still was evident in the sad-looking wrinkles of her mouth. Being so sad clearly took a toll on her, even though she was so young. Even though her mouth was wrinkled into a frown, she wore a smirk. Like she knew she couldn't lose. But she didn't know Riley's final Pokemon. Did she?


	32. Chapter 32

Either way, it was Flaradillo, Riley's last Pokemon. Whether she knew or not, it wasn't the ideal Pokemon to face her with. Riley clenched his fists, scared of losing this important battle. Could he risk Saburr being damaged again? He would have to. He ordered Saburr to use Crunch!

"Kala! Mon-mon!" Maskalmon screeched as it flopped on the ground, in critical condition! It restored some of its health though, both from its Aqua Ring and its Leftovers. It used Hydro Pump again, but Saburr dodged it just in time! The water jet nearly hit Riley's feet and he had to jump back to avoid it!

Saburr used Crunch one final time. It would have to be the last time, or the entire battle could be risked! Saburr looked exhausted from all of its pressure! Riley hadn't noticed it until now, but Maskalmon's thick, hard facial scales were hurting Saburr as it attacked. This was the result of its Ability, Rough Skin. How could he not have noticed!?

One more attack. Just one more. Saburr crunched down on Maskalmon until it felt its spine on its sharp teeth. Then, it let up. Maskalmon twitched as it fell unconscious, now unable to battle.

"Okay, Riley, you're pretty good. But I've saved my secret weapon for last." Azura sent out her Pokemon!

"Shii?" it squealed, muttering. It shook its head, tired. It looked at the big, terrifying, intimidating Saburr and started panicking. Its cry was loud and long. That's when Riley heard a rumble reverberate through the entire tunnel!

The little blue Pokemon looked to calm down as the rumble got louder. What was making the cave vibrate? The door burst open as nearly a hundred fish, identical to Azura's, poured in like an army! Riley couldn't help but scream!

The fish formed a school, and when it was complete, a giant titan of a Pokemon swam in the air above everyone. Riley gulped and clenched his fists even harder than they were, his fingernails digging into his palms so hard he felt warm blood stain them!

Saburr shivered. It was terrified. But it would have to- No. No, Riley couldn't force Saburr to fight an enemy like this when it was so scared. He checked up on Corvekt, who had had a little bit of time to recover. He let it out of its PokeBall. It was still terribly weak, but it jumped at the chance to help the team! Riley gave it the last remaining helping of Oran Berry Pie that he had, making sure it was in top shape to fight this intimidating army of foes!

"Wishiwashi, use Hydro Pump!" With Azura's command, the giant school of fish-like Pokemon, Wishiwashi, sent water jets to the mouth of the beast they'd created. It built up, and then fired at Corvekt! But Corvekt managed to dodge the attack!

Corvekt sighed. It used a brand-new move that it had never learned before. It tensened its muscles. It was using Bulk Up! It increased its drive to attack so much that its next attack might do up to double the damage more than usual!

Wishiwashi used Bubble Beam! The school of Wishiwashi each shot bubbles at Corvekt that formed a beam! But it did little damage to Corvekt, even with all the power of the team! Corvekt slashed its Leaf Blade faster than any of the Trainers, or any of the Wishiwashi could see! It was behind the army of water-types before anyone noticed it had moved!

Several of the fish swam away, making the school of Wishiwashi shrink! This was good news! The school used their tanky vessel's tail to smash into Corvekt! Aqua Tail! Corvekt took so much damage that it immediately went into critical condition!

Riley ordered it to use one more Leaf Blade, so it did! This brought the Wishiwashi to just over half its health. Then, Azura had the Wishiwashi school use Bubble Beam! The attack caused Corvekt to faint! Riley panicked!

"Dillo!?" Flaradillo shrieked, seeing what it was up against! It tried to calm down, but could barely bring itself to. It tried using its strongest move, Flame Wheel, on the Wishiwashi school but it did minuscule damage!

Then, Azura pulled out a tactic Riley could never have seen coming! She was laughing evilly as she thought of it. Rolling up her grey sleeve, Azura revealed a stone-textured bracelet which had a sapphire jewel forged into it.

"Wishiwashi, now! Hydro Vortex!" Azura yelled, filled with excitement! The energy from her was delivered to her own Wishiwashi, which was at the core of the beast its school had formed.

Water filled the room so high that even the Trainers were submerged. Then, the Wishiwashi school swam harshly into Flaradillo! The water in the room turned into a whirlpool that surrounded the poor fire-type Pokemon, and Wishiwashi continually attacked it as it was trying to stay afloat in the vortex!

"Flara... di-" Then, poor Flaradillo fainted from the terrifyingly strong and super effective attack!

Gasping, Riley quickly withdrew Flaradillo's unconscious body back into its PokeBall! He looked down at his PokeBalls clipped to his belt. Only one left glowing with white light: livelihood. Saburr.

Kissing the PokeBall's shiny red hemisphere, Riley sent out his final hope of winning this battle! "Burr-awr!" Saburr roared, ready for battle! Ferocious mist poured from between its vibrating, growling teeth.

It jumped right into the mouth of the Wishiwashi school's beast formation! It latched onto the leader, Azura's Wishiwashi, in the core of the school of fish! It yelped and whimpered as it was mauled by Saburr's ice-coated fangs! This was, without a doubt, delivering critical damage to it!

As the Wishiwashi school felt all the pain that their leader did, they split! The beast slowly shrank until there was only one Wishiwashi left: Azura's! Ripping it with its fangs, it launched the Wishiwashi to the side, where Azura had to dive to catch it from hitting the ground and injuring itself even more! Riley, proud of himself for tackling two greatly difficult battles in a row, withdrew Saburr after petting its chin tenderly.

"Poor little guy..." she sighed. She looked at Riley, then, with a flush of upsetness on her face, at the place where the legendary Pokemon was. Where the legendary Pokemon that had spoken to Riley had been trapped in a beam of light, now a regal-looking bow hovered.

"So, the Legendary Bow is finally ours. This will be greatly helpful," Azura smiled lightly, "in summoning the Legendary Pokemon, Crowlican'l, who will help us better the lives of Pokemon around the world substantially!"

She looked at Riley, a little desperately. "I give you one last chance." Her face went serious, her voice lowering to suit the mood. "Will you join us?"

Confidently, Riley shook his head.

"I'm afraid," Azura sighed, grabbing the Legendary Bow, of which had been made by depowering the Legendary Pokemon that had given Riley his Medallion Piece. "That if not part of our team," she snarled, drawing back the bowstring as an arrow made of pure light formed inside, tipped with one of Angellion's own metal feathers. "You're better to us dead than alive!"


	33. Chapter 33

Riley clenched his fists, bracing for the worst. At the best it might miss him, or at the worst it might kill him. That's when he felt warm, tingling fur brush against him. He was pushed back by the force of a strong Pokemon!

"Lyyyynk!" Riley winced, tensing up his muscles as he heard the Pokemon cry. He opened his eyes to see a Pokemon, the species of which he was familiar with. It was a Lynk, one of the desert-dwelling feline Pokemon that controlled electricity.

"Lynk!" he heard another human call. "Are you alright?" The human dropped to their knees next to the Pokemon. Riley assumed this was the owner of this Pokemon. But something didn't seem right about him.

He had hair of blonde and silver, and wore a black trench coat which had rips around the bottom of it. The coat looked exactly like the one worn by Team Delta's Leader! But clothing brands mass-produced clothing. Surely it was a coincidence.

But then, Riley noticed the man's right hand. It was bandaged pretty tightly, and the bandages stopped around the point where a PokeVice was tied tightly to his wrist. The PokeVice's screen was reminiscent of the screen of Team Delta Leader's mechanical gauntlet.

Could this be the true Leader of Team Delta, unmasked? If so, why would he save Riley's life? Either way, he was just too similar in appearance to the villainous radical! He even wore the same worn boots!

This gave him a sort of pirate-like appeal now that his mechanical demeanor was let down. His hair was messy and stood up. Clearly, a care was not given into styling it. His frayed trench coat hung around his shins, rippling a bit in the thick air of the tunnel. It could appear nothing short of threatening, paired with the rest of his worn-out outfit. His eyes were a silver that looked legitimately metallic, reflecting almost every light that hit them like a shining blade.

"Poor thing..." the man sighed, petting his Pokemon. That's when Riley realized. He had sacrificed his Pokemon's health to give Maika and Azura a chance to escape! Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Riley glared at Team Delta's Leader, finally unmasked, as he wasn't looking. When the black-sporting man turned to see him, though, Riley put up a facade of cluelessness.

"Lynk, rest up in your PokeBall for now. We'll get you to a Pokemon Centre as soon as possible!" The man got up after returning his severely injured feline Pokemon to its PokeBall, which had a purple top which had red seed-like shapes poking out of it. These were the most expensive, rarest types of PokeBalls: Master Balls!

It would be fitting that someone wealthy enough to run an organization like Team Delta would catch his Pokemon in one! But then, he began, his voice masculine but soft, "My name is Stiles."

He took a step towards Riley and held out his bandaged hand. Riley stared at it with resentment, but shook it hesitantly to avoid a confrontation that his Pokemon team just couldn't handle.

"It's nice to meet you, though it's unfortunate that this must be the circumstance in which we meet. And your name is?" He waited for Riley to reply. "Riley, did you say? What a heroic-sounding name."

The man, Stiles, sighed, turning for the exit. "I'm afraid I must be off. My Lynk saved your life. I didn't order it to, it did it on its own. You owe it a thank-you. Unfortunately, neither you, I, or himself has the time for that. I must go to the Pokemon Centre immediately and get him healed up. May fate have it that we see again."

Fate would have it that they saw again, Riley was confident. Though under which identity, he wasn't sure of anymore. He sneered as Team Delta's Leader, or Stiles as he was named, left the room through the door with his organization's insignia on it.

Trying to cool down from his encounter, Riley too returned to the Pokemon Centre in Malasarri City. He waited patiently a safe distance away from the Pokemon Centre until he saw Stiles leave, then entered himself. He gave Nurse Joy his Pokemon, then asked her where he could find the nearest Pokemon Gym, since he clearly wasn't getting a badge from Maika.

She recommended he stop by Mount Charm, to the southwest, now that the road there was open. Then, he would go to Selaine City, where the Bug-type Gym Leader could be found. As he left, he heard her humming the tune of Polleniah's hit song, Chrysalis Around My Heart, which was almost sickeningly popular in the region. However, it was without a doubt the catchiest song this year, having been released only months ago.

Polleniah really was popular, huh? Thinking about her, he headed out to Route 8, which extended out to Mount Charm. Experimentally, he used his PokeVice and looked up a song of Polleniah's. He looked of one of her lesser-known songs which was, if the description was to be believed, released only a week ago. He dug a pair of earbuds out of his bag and stuck them in each ear. However, he stayed as aware as possible about his surroundings, knowing strong Pokemon could jump out at any moment. As the song began, Riley was immediately captivated by the opening notes.

 _Faced with the teeth of a dragon,_

 _How could I survive?_

 _I don't have any clue_

 _How I'll get out of this._

 _All_ _I know_

 _Is that there'll be blood!_

 _Maybe we aren't so different,_

 _The dragon and I?_

As she sung the final syllable, I, she drew it out, changing the tone of her voice rhythmically as she kept the note.

 _I could try_ _and look in his eye._

 _What would I see?_

 _Would I see a reflection_

 _Of me?_

 _Oh, I,_

 _Oh, I could try_

 _To look in his eyes._

Riley was oblivious, but he was nodding his head to the song. He couldn't help but enjoy it, as much as he considered himself 'out of the loop' of popular culture.

 _Is it worth it?_

 _Go Mega,_

 _Go Mega!_

 _Waste all your energy_

 _To survive_

 _And have none left_

 _To celebrate!_

 _Come, come here and cry!_

 _Cry on my shoulder,_

 _I'm here now!_

 _And burn!_

 _And fry!_

 _And cry!_

 _Cry it all out!_

 _All of the dragon's poison_

 _Might get to you!_

 _But you can make it through,_

 _'Cause I believe in you!_

Without thought, he was loving the song, even though he would've never said he fell for mainstream popular culture. Maybe, if he encountered Polleniah again, he would say it to her face. But not to anyone else.

As the song reached its end, he put the earbuds back and turned off the playlist. He walked up to the base of the steep mountain. Here, there was a small house. It had a glass extension to it which looked familiar, even though Riley couldn't get the term off the tip of his tongue.

Perhaps the person living here could give him some directions to where he could find some good Pokemon to train his Pokemon against. He went and knocked on the door, and it was answered almost immediately with a cheerful "Come in!"

So, smiling at the polite tone of what sounded to be a woman's voice, he, Riley, entered. Inside, a pleasant young-ish woman with a green skirt on was tending to a Carnivine which had injured itself. "Please excuse me," she chirped. "I found this Pokemon around the woods patch around the other side of the mountain and it had injured itself by trying to get in a fight with a Lycanroc."

"Alright, buddy," she smiled, tickling the Carnivine's chin, which caused it to giggle and grin. "All better. Anything else I should know about, Carnivine?"

It lifted up its leaf-like hand, which it had evidently burned. "That's not a big deal, friend." She dug around in a handful of badly-cluttered cupboards and pulled out a Burn Heal and a roll of bandages. She sprayed the Burn Heal on the Carnivine's hand and then wrapped it in bandages, then playfully kissed the back of the bandaged hand, smiling widely.

"Good day, Carnivine! Come back if you need anything, like a juicy Aractric pest trying to eat my plants! I'll gladly feed you all of the Aractric you like!" She waved goodbye to the Carnivine as it skipped away back into the wild, the turned around to see Riley, closing the door back behind her.


	34. Chapter 34

"Hello there, friend! And who might you be?" she smiled, gesturing for Riley to sit down. "I see! Pleasure to meet you, Riley! Would you like to tell me what you're into?" ... "No? That's okay, I won't pry, then! Hopefully I'll learn as I get to know you!" She, too sat down. "I suppose getting to know you means introducing myself as well. My name is Ayaka, and I'm a botanist. People from all over Chinocko come in person to buy the flowers that I grow in my greenhouse! I don't do shipping because the vehicles often are known for damaging plants. A shame, right?"

She got up and went over to the counter, and poured a glass of lemonade for Riley. She handed it to him tentatively, silently asking him if he wanted it. He grinned and took it! He was parched, really! What a pleasant solution! Lemonade!

"I bet you're here because you like plants, right? Well, if you wanted to buy some, I would gladly sell them to you from my greenhouse." Ayaka smiled, cleaning up the area of her large but homely house that she set up for First Aid, carefully cleaning up the sweat and sap-like blood that came, supposedly, from the Carnivine.

"No? You're not here to buy flowers?" Ayaka looked puzzled, fixing her glasses. "Great! You actually, really want to talk to me! How exciting! Not many people come to Mount Charm just for conversation! What can I help you with?"

Riley explained. "Pokemon training, huh? Well, look no further! The entire mountain is overflowing with strong Pokemon! In fact, there are so many unique ecotystems on the mountain alone, that... Well, there's just a lot of ecosystems, you know? It's fascinating!

"For example, there's the base of the mountain. Plentiful forests down here make for many Grass-type and Bug-type Pokemon! The rocky cliffs of the mountain are home to many great climbingPokemon, such as Gogoat, as well as Rock-types and Steel-types. The interior of the mountain is home to shade-loving Pokemon like Diglett, Dugtrio, and several Rock-types, Ground-types, and Dark-types.

"Furthermore, the peak of the mountain, where a small village is, is home to multiple species of Flying-type Pokemon. And the mostly-dormant volcano within the mountain is, as you would guess, the location where numerous Fire-type Pokemon can be found, like Puffpyre, and its evolution, Pyrantern, and also Toxock in its Fire-type Igneous Form!"

"If you're asking about training your Pokemon, that must mean you're a Trainer. Why don't I heal your Pokemon for you?" Riley explained that his Pokemon were already all very healthy after visiting the Pokemon Centre.

"Oh? Then never mind! But come back anytime you need healing! I have all the appropriate supplies you would need for healing your Pokemon, and I'm right at the base of the mountain so you wouldn't have to walk from another town to get back here."

Smiling, she waved goodbye to Riley as he confidently took on the challenge that the mountain would surely pose him with. As he walked away, Ayaka called out after him. "Head to the eastern side of the mountain- or to the right- and you'll find a small patch of forest! It's different from the others because the entrance to it is a gardening gate which has vines growing up it!" She mumled to herself something about how she'd installed that gate, and that she planned to install more of them in the other forest patches after her major plant sale in the spring.

But deeming that unimportant to Riley, she continued on her earlier topic. "Inside that forest patch, turn right at the first crossroads in the path and you'll find a cave entrance! That cave entrance will lead you further up the mountain! All of the other cave entrances- at least that I know of- are dead ends or just lead to the other side of the mountain! And remember, you can always come beck here for some resting and healing!"

Riley followed her directions and, making L shapes with his fingers to remind himself of his left and right, he turned to his right. He followed a dirt path along the side of the mountain. There we plentiful trees. No shortage of trees. Lycanroc playfully ran around the base of the mountain, tackling each other, their Rockruff friends joining them as well. Riley couldn't help but be fascinated by them. He registered them into the PokeDex, both species, so that their information could be used to help their species if it became necessary.

There it was! The garden gate which had vines growing up it! The one which Ayaka, the sweet girl who reminded Riley a bit of Lilly in her excitement, had mentioned. He sighed, lifting his shoulders, and ran up to it! The patch was so thick that the outer trees seemed like a wall that kept the Pokemon inside its boundaries inside and Pokemon outside of its boundaries out.

It was almost like this small garden gate was the only seam. He walked through, the forest atmosphere immediate. He looked around, feeling almost like he'd just entered a gateway to another world. Smiling, he followed the pathway which was mentioned by Ayaka. There were occasional breaks from the path, but Riley was scared of getting lost in this dark forest.

The first crossroads? This was surely it. There were three options here: go forward, turn right, or head back to the entrance. In the middle of the path was a circle of slightly raised ground which had a bush on it which had a tree in the middle of it. From the tree, a Bug-type Pokemon hung. Just a single, lone Bug-type Pokemon on this tree. Granted, the plant was small. Riley scanned the Pokemon with his PokeDex. Perhaps it could identify it.

"Pupinstar. Bug- and Ghost-type. The Pupa Pokemon. This Pokemon is in a state of great and impressively fast growth. In this stage, like a Pokemon Egg, its growth is reliant on time. Like with Eggs, Trainers often compare this period of time to the time it takes to walk x amount of steps. As it's immobile in this state, it attacks using extensions of its hard silk covering."

But then, as Riley turned the bend, his heart sank. His breath froze. He did not want to be alive to see what he saw.

A web was lined over the aforementioned cave entrance, blocking it. But the web was not what Riley was scared of.

What terrified him was an eight-legged Pokemon. It was black. Its surface shined in the light like metal. It had a lightning bolt-shaped marking on its terrifyingly large abdomen which glowed as it breathed. Its fangs were the length of Riley's fingers, and its feet were so pointy they could be compared to needles.

W-W-Widyzer.


	35. Pokemon Amethyst and Garnet Update

Hey guys! Thank you for supporting Pokemon Amethyst and Garnet! I know it's been a long time! I'm sorry for keeping you waiting! I'm here to tell you that the story will be drastically changing in the future. I've posted a small trailer on the new story's page that you can view here! Pokemon Amethyst and Garnet Revised Edition - 2019 Trailer This version of the story will hereby be discontinued, so if you wish to continue to keep up to date with Riley's (and eventually the new character Rose's) adventures through the exciting Western Canada-inspired region of Chinocko, please check out the link and let me know who's still interested! You can continue to look forward to seeing the same beautiful places and intriguing face you've already seen in this story, I promise, but the updated 2018/19 version includes even more stunning places and intriguing faces! I'll see you in a new story!

New Updated 2018/19 Version of This Story Can Be Found Here: Pokemon Amethyst and Garnet Revised Edition - 2019 Trailer


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